Federal Relations

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier led 66 other leaders of Tennessee’s colleges and universities today in sending a letter to the Tennessee congressional delegation urging them to make an affordable, high-quality college education more attainable for students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and permanently indexing the grant to inflation to ensure that its value will no longer diminish over time. Read More

Two graduate students from Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering and one from the School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently addressed legislators in Washington, D.C., virtually, sharing stories about the important role funding from the National Science Foundation has played in their research and training. Read More

United States Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond recently visited Vanderbilt to learn about the pioneering aerospace engineering projects at the university’s research institutes and trans-institutional programs. Read More

A back-assist exoskeleton developed by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karl Zelik at Vanderbilt is being recognized by the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities for their annual innovation showcase. Read More

Vanderbilt University is urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to withdraw a new proposal that would limit the duration of international student visas to either four or two years, depending on a student’s home country or country of birth. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente recently wrote to members of the Tennessee congressional delegation, urging them to support America’s leading research universities as they work through the ramifications of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Read More

United States competitiveness, workforce development and university partnerships were the topics of interest for Philippe Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering, and members and staff of the Tennessee congressional delegation earlier this month in Washington, D.C. Read More

Christina West, associate vice chancellor for federal relations, has been appointed to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Board of Directors. She will serve as an ad-hoc non-voting government relations representative for a three-year term. Read More

Read about recent faculty, staff, student and alumni awards, appointments and achievements. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente emphasized the need to reaffirm the longstanding partnership between the federal government and America’s leading research universities when they met with members of the Tennessee congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., this week. Read More

Christina West has been promoted to associate vice chancellor for federal relations in Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations. Read More

The biannual report, published by the Division of Public Affairs, summarizes Vanderbilt’s year-to-date activities at the federal, state and local levels of government. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos thanked members of Congress during a visit to Capitol Hill this week for rejecting the administration’s proposed budget cuts that would cripple American innovation and economic growth. Read More

Congress has reaffirmed the partnership between the federal government and American research universities by enacting a bipartisan appropriations spending package for fiscal year 2017 that preserves and increases funding for key federal research agencies—including a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health. Read More

A nearly $5 million grant from the National Institute of Justice will fund a five-year partnership between the Office of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Metro Schools, Oasis Center and Vanderbilt. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos welcomed U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann to Vanderbilt Oct. 4 for a visit to the new Engineering and Science Building, a tour of the Wond'ry and a Q&A session with students and faculty. Read More

A model of honeybee behavior developed by a VU alum, now adapted to control internet server traffic, won an award honoring obscure or odd-seeming research that led to an important advance. Read More

An unusually long summer recess for Congress—totaling seven weeks—gave members of Congress the opportunity to return to their states and districts to meet with constituents. It also afforded Vanderbilt the unique opportunity to host numerous congressional staff on campus in August. Read More

Mohamed Abdel-Kader, deputy assistant secretary in the International and Foreign Language Education Office at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education, spoke at Vanderbilt March 18. Read More

Mona Frederick, director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, and Steve Wernke, associate professor of anthropology, recently attended the National Humanities Alliance’s annual meeting and advocacy day in Washington, D.C. and met with members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation. Read More