Commons Reading
New students engage with author Dolly Chugh at 14th annual Lawson Lecture
Oct. 9, 2020—This year’s Lawson Lecture featured Dolly Chugh, author of "The Person You Mean to Be," the 2020 Commons Reading for first-year and transfer students, and Dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons Melissa Gesalfi in a fireside chat via webinar.
Incoming students celebrated at virtual Founders Walk
Aug. 23, 2020—Incoming first-year, transfer and Next Steps students were welcomed into the Vanderbilt community on Sunday during Founders Walk, an annual event that marks the start of the academic year as well as the students’ time at the university.
Inclusive Book Group to discuss ‘The Person You Mean to Be’ Aug. 5
Jul. 15, 2020—Vanderbilt’s Inclusive Book Group will meet online Aug. 5 to discuss "The Person You Mean to Be," which explores causes of inequality and offers tools for recognizing implicit bias.
Commons Reading dovetails with university initiatives on diversity, inclusion
Jun. 17, 2020—While all incoming Vanderbilt undergraduates are expected to read "The Person You Mean to Be," the Commons Reading for 2020-21, the book will be particularly useful for anyone trying to understand the root causes of inequality.
Commons Reading announced for 2020-21 academic year
Apr. 6, 2020—The Commons Reading for the 2020-21 academic year will be "The Person You Mean to Be" by award-winning author Dolly Chugh. The book will be distributed to all incoming first-year undergraduate students as well as incoming transfer students.
VU community discussion of 2019 Commons Reading set for July 23
Jun. 25, 2019—The Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center and the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries will host a discussion of the 2019 Commons Reading, "The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity" by Kwame Anthony Appiah, on Tuesday, July 23. All in the Vanderbilt community are invited to read the book and join in the discussion.
Commons Reading announced for 2019-20
Mar. 11, 2019—The Commons Reading for the 2019-20 academic year will be "The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity" by Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Commons Reading announced for 2018-19
Mar. 26, 2018—The Commons Reading for the 2018-19 academic year will be "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom" by Jonathan Haidt. Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente and Vanessa Beasley, dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, announced the selection March 26.
Writer-in-residence Andrew Maraniss shares the story of Perry Wallace on ‘The Zeppos Report’
Nov. 27, 2017—On the latest episode of "The Zeppos Report," Vanderbilt writer-in-residence Andrew Maraniss tells Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos about his personal journey to Vanderbilt and how it led him to write Perry Wallace's biography.
First-year students explore resilience through Commons programming
Oct. 19, 2017—Resilience—the ability to adjust to change, recover from setbacks or overcome life’s challenges—is a key theme being explored by first-year students on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons during 2017-18.
Time Machine: Old technology finds new life in first-year student programming
May. 1, 2017—When first-year students arrived last August at Stambaugh House, a residence hall on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, no doubt much of what they encountered was brand new. But a relic from the past awaited them in the Stambaugh lobby.
Commons Reading announced for 2017-18
Feb. 23, 2017—"Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South" will serve as the Commons Reading for a second year in 2017-18, with members of the incoming first-year class exploring additional themes of the book and participating in new and expanded programming.