Government And Community Relations

What does it take to listen to the universe and ensure the U.S. stays at the forefront of that discovery? For Vanderbilt University researchers, part of the answer lies in continued federal support for science, particularly through agencies like NASA and the National Science Foundation. Read More

What connects Vanderbilt with the city it calls home? For students, faculty, staff and neighbors alike, it begins with working together toward a shared purpose and developing community partnerships. Vanderbilt has launched Vanderbilt in the Nashville Community, a new webpage highlighting the university’s collaborations and offering a starting point for engagement. The page offers resources, stories and tools that make Vanderbilt’s community work visible and accessible to all. Read More

When teachers have the right tools and students feel supported, classrooms can thrive. That’s the goal of Vanderbilt’s work with PENCIL, a local nonprofit that links public schools with community partners and volunteers. With 81,000 students back in Metro Nashville Public Schools classrooms, Vanderbilt Community Relations is working with PENCIL to ensure teachers have what they need and students start strong, continuing a partnership that has supported Nashville schools for years. Read More

Do you want a quick, reliable way to keep up with the issues in Washington, D.C. that matter to Vanderbilt University? DCbrief from the Office of Federal Relations provides timely, concise summaries of news items to inform Vanderbilt faculty and staff of federal policy developments that impact the university and higher education.  Read More

In late June, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier traveled to Washington, D.C., for a day of congressional meetings and to headline Vanderbilt University’s congressional reception. His visit, organized by Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations, came at a pivotal moment as Congress considers sweeping budget and tax legislation.  Read More

“Stitched Stories: A Children’s Literature and Quilting Journey” took place over six weeks and brought upper-elementary students together with members of the Zuri Quilting Circle, a collective of local Black women quilters who use fabric to tell stories about their lives and traditions. The students read and discussed four picture books about quilting before designing their own quilts and learning hands-on techniques to assemble and sew them. Read More

From the art of landscape painting to the exploration of iconic movies and the history of beer, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt is offering an exciting lineup of summer courses for the 50-plus community. With engaging topics in music, history, literature, wellness and more, OLLI provides a wealth of opportunities for learning and connection. With the launch of Osher Online, students can now tap into the expertise of instructors across the country.  Read More

“Creating cuisines is about building community through agriculture and bridging the local with the global,” said Ted Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology, during the opening session of “Food for Thought”—a free program presented by Vanderbilt University and the Frist Art Museum. This series brings together Vanderbilt faculty, Frist curators and local leaders to explore cultural and societal issues through art. The Spring 2025 season focused on two Frist exhibitions: Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism and Tennessee Harvest. Read More

On April 8, the alliance held an event at the Student Life Center focused on building our city’s local technology workforce: “Tech Talent at Scale: World-Class Expertise for Upskilling Nashville’s Workforce.” With discussions on strengthening Nashville’s tech talent pipeline and insights from distinguished experts and industry leaders, this event identified novel collaborative solutions to help bring higher-paying jobs to more Nashvillians and to position the region as a premier center for innovation. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Wond’ry’s Fiber Arts Lab will host a collaborative service project with faculty, staff, students and local communities of faith to quilt mementos for families who have lost a loved one while discussing different faith traditions and pathways toward interfaith solidarity. The mementos will be donated to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for distribution. Read More

From garden tours to musical bingo, spring in Nashville is full of opportunities to come together. Vanderbilt University is proud to partner with local nonprofits and cultural organizations to offer events that welcome students, faculty, staff—and the broader Nashville community. Read More

This spring, the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center to honor six individuals from the Vanderbilt community during its annual awards. Read More

Between 2019 and 2024, Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center made a $22.13 billion in economic impact on the city of Nashville and across the state of Tennessee. Read More

Smiles, hugs and a few tears filled the room at the Martin Professional Development Center on Feb. 27 as seniors from zoned and magnet Metro Nashville Public Schools celebrated admission to Vanderbilt and induction into the inaugural cohort of the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program.  Read More

Vanderbilt University is among 471 colleges and universities recognized for outstanding nonpartisan efforts to increase voter registration, education and turnout among students during the 2024 election. Awarded by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, the designation highlights campuses that are setting the standard for civic engagement in higher education. Read More

In January 2024, Vanderbilt joined the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, reinforcing its commitment to engaging the Nashville community and to learning and promoting best practices for addressing the unique opportunities and challenges in our metropolitan environment. Through this membership, the Vanderbilt community can access a network of peer-learning circles, webinars, and community engagement-related content and scholarship. Read More

Tennessee faces a persistent opioid epidemic, with an estimated 70,000 residents affected and the state ranking among the highest for prescription drug misuse. As the crisis evolves, researchers are increasingly turning to neuroscience to better understand the roots of addiction and develop safer, non-addictive pain treatments that could help prevent future overdose deaths. Read More

ON THE HILL is a biannual report produced by the Division of Government and Community Relations summarizing activity at all three levels of government, as outlined by the Vanderbilt Federal Relations, State Government Relations and Local Government Relations teams. Read More

Estonia’s Ambassador to the United States, Kristjan Prikk, engaged students at Vanderbilt on Oct. 2 during a lively classroom discussion on the future of European security and democracy. The event, hosted by the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, was part of Visiting Associate Professor Alexander Schmidt’s European Cultural History course. Read More

Nearly 100 community members gathered outside of MLK Academic Magnet School, formerly Pearl High School, to celebrate Ridley’s legacy. Funded by Vanderbilt Athletics, the Metro Historical Commission marker was the latest expression of Vanderbilt’s support for the North Nashville neighborhood around Pearl High. Alumni Perry Wallace and Walter Murray, valedictorian and salutatorian of the segregated high school’s class of 1966, went on to have pioneering careers as students at Vanderbilt. Read More