A&S College Core

While digital technology may be a useful, enjoyable and integral part of campus life, the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries are inviting Vanderbilt community members to reconsider their relationship with screens this academic year, especially during their down time. The Heard Libraries, in collaboration with key university partners, are making 2026–27 the Year to Unplug—a sustained, institution-wide effort to cultivate a campus culture of reading, reflection and community. Read More

Creating a shared academic experience for students. Equipping students with the fundamental capacities to succeed in today’s world. Strengthening faculty collaboration across disciplines. These are among the many goals that the A&S College Core, the College of Arts and Science’s general education curriculum, accomplished in its first year. Read More

The humanities shape how we understand history, culture and the complex challenges facing society. In March, Vanderbilt advocates Paul Stob, director of the A&S College Core and professor of communication studies, and Ayla Faullin, a Vanderbilt junior studying English, traveled to Washington, D.C., for the National Humanities Alliance’s Humanities Advocacy Day. There, they met with congressional offices to advocate for continued federal support for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read More

This fall, the College of Arts and Science is introducing strategic structural and pedagogical changes to undergraduate education that will better serve students and faculty and help to deliver an unparalleled undergraduate academic experience. Read More

The College Core provides students with a broad and deep education across the arts and the sciences. Built on the idea that students need to be equipped with fundamental capacities that will serve them beyond the classroom, the new curriculum will encourage exploration and curiosity, help students forge unexpected connections, and span across disciplines. Read More

The changes were driven by the college’s continued focus on undergraduate education. Since early 2022, the College of Arts and Science has been developing a new general education curriculum, the A&S College Core, which will be introduced to students in fall 2025. The new dean’s office structure positions the college to support students and faculty as the new curriculum comes to life.  Read More