Dialogue Vanderbilt

This semester, Dialogue Vanderbilt engaged more than 4,500 people through events, debates and workshops. More than 450 students participated in Insight Debates, tackling topics like institutional neutrality and the impact of TikTok. The program also brought compelling visitors to campus and hosted initiatives like the first-ever free speech debate competition with eight participating universities, which was part of the Global Free Speech Summit. We are thrilled to build on this success and deliver even more transformative programming in 2025.   Read More

After the election results were announced, Dialogue Vanderbilt organized a tabling event outside of Rand Dining Hall that encouraged students to share their insights about what a post-election world looks like. The activity was followed by a breakfast hosted by the Dialogue Vanderbilt Student Advisory Board on Nov. 8 that included a discussion on political beliefs and a post-election world. Read More

The Dare to Grow campaign, which was launched publicly in spring 2023, has eclipsed its $3.2 billion fundraising goal 20 months ahead of its target date of June 30, 2026, underscoring the generosity of donors, widespread enthusiasm for the university’s vision and boundless potential for the future. The news is both a celebration and a call to action as Vanderbilt looks ahead to deepening its impact in Nashville, across the nation and around the world. Read More

Walter Isaacson, the acclaimed author of the biographies Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and professor of history at Tulane, will speak at Vanderbilt University on Thursday, Dec. 5, in conversation with John M. Seigenthaler, former news anchor and correspondent for NBC and MSNBC. The discussion will range from mis/disinformation to the art of historical biography to Isaacson’s 2023 biography of Elon Musk.  Read More

During a Dialogue Vanderbilt event, Professor of Political Science John Sides interviewed renowned statistician and writer Nate Silver about his latest book focused on appetites for risk-taking. Together, they examined the topic related to gambling, business and the 2024 election. Read More

Free Speech Week will feature three student debates, a lecture by American Civil Liberties Union President Deborah Archer, and the inaugural Global Free Speech Summit, a two-day symposium with renowned national and international guests advancing efforts for free speech around the globe.   Read More

Roschke, a renowned expert in media literacy and misinformation, has been named the inaugural executive director of the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at Vanderbilt University beginning Oct. 15. Roschke will also hold a faculty appointment in the Program in Communication of Science and Technology in the College of Arts and Science. Read More

One Small Step, which will operate as a component of Dialogue Vanderbilt, is an integral part of Vanderbilt’s ongoing effort to provide students, faculty, staff and community members the opportunities and tools to engage constructively across difference. This initiative, through meaningful, facilitated conversations, endeavors to empower the community to listen at least as much as they speak, keep their minds open to the possibility of persuasion, and allow for a broad range of opinions to be heard. Read More

The first debate, 'Vanderbilt Insight Debate on Institutional Neutrality,' will be held on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Seigenthaler Center Forum Room. The topic will delve into whether Vanderbilt should maintain its policy of institutional neutrality. Registration using your Vanderbilt email address is required to attend. Read More

The ability to engage with others in highly divisive times is a particularly timely topic, one that Mónica Guzmán, senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, spoke about with first-year students on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at a packed Langford Auditorium. Guzmán delivered the 18th annual Lawson Lecture, named in honor of the Rev. James Lawson, a renowned civil rights activist, professor, theoretician and pastor. Lawson also served as a Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt from 2006 to 2009. Read More

“How To Heal a Divided America” is a community-building exercise focused on knitting together diverse perspectives and lived experiences to better approach, analyze and address the societal problems of polarization and isolation facing our communities and the world. The event series, which is a partnership between the Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project and Dialogue Vanderbilt, began Sept. 12 and will culminate on Sept. 19–20.  Read More

Dialogue Vanderbilt is partnering with the Aspen Institute’s Weave Project to bring Robert Putnam to campus to explore “How to Heal a Divided America" on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. Read More

David Axelrod, senior CNN political commentator and former adviser to President Barack Obama, came to Vanderbilt Tuesday night to appeal to the community’s better angels: “It’s not about if the red team wins or the blue team wins, or who’s up or who’s down. It’s about what you can… Read More

To ensure student voices are integral in the direction and activities of Dialogue Vanderbilt, a new cross-initiative Dialogue Vanderbilt Student Advisory Board is being established, effective for the fall 2024 semester. Applications are now open for all undergraduate students. Dialogue Vanderbilt is the university’s core initiative to bridge divides,… Read More

Premiering Aug. 28, The Choice, produced by Dialogue Vanderbilt and featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian Jon Meacham and Vanderbilt professor, polling expert and political scientist John Geer, will discuss the key moments and the many implications of the 2024 presidential election. Read More

First-year students at Vanderbilt spent their first Monday afternoon on campus with Chancellor Daniel Diermeier discussing the importance of free expression at Vanderbilt and how to engage in civil discourse. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier shared a message with the Vanderbilt community to ring in the 2024-25 academic year. Read More

As part of its annual review of policies and guidelines, Vanderbilt University has updated the Student Handbook. The update includes revisions to the freedom of expression and use of university space policies, which are a vital part of the university’s commitment to discovery and learning.  Read More

Hosted by Vanderbilt Civil Discourse Lab, 60 student-athletes gathered for the event—which kicked off Dialogue Vanderbilt fall activities—in an effort to model and encourage civil discourse on campus. The topic of the debate was “Resolved: Playing offense is harder than playing defense," a subject that cut to the core identity of many in the room. Read More

“How to Heal a Divided America” will begin in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sept. 12 and culminate on Sept. 19–20, 2024, with a joint event with the Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project and Dialogue Vanderbilt. Read More