Impact Symposium

Since Vanderbilt’s founding in 1873, campus traditions have evolved as the university has grown. Here are a few favorites that highlight community, belonging and history at the university.  Read More

See some of the bold and collaborative actions Vanderbilt University accomplished this year an innovator and leader in solving the world’s most pressing challenges. Read More

Award-winning journalist and anchor Anderson Cooper is coming to Vanderbilt’s campus on March 21, and comedian and political satirist Ziwe Fumudoh is coming to Vanderbilt on March 26 to speak at the 60th anniversary of the IMPACT Symposium. Read More

The student-led Impact Symposium was established 60 years ago to bring leaders and intellectuals from around the world to Vanderbilt University to encourage discussion on current issues affecting our world. Plan to join this year’s anniversary celebration on Thursday, March 21, and Tuesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s 2023 Impact Symposium will feature actress and New York Times bestselling author Tabitha Brown; award-winning actor, director and arts and education advocate Giancarlo Esposito; and co-founder of Our Place and the Malala Fund Shiza Shahid. Each will speak on consecutive evenings March 27–29 at 7 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. Tickets are free for the Vanderbilt community. Read More

Actor, comedian and producer Aubrey Plaza; actor, producer and human rights advocate Laverne Cox; and engineer, comedian, author and inventor Bill Nye will be the featured speakers at Vanderbilt University’s 2021 Impact Symposium. This year’s event, which will be entirely virtual, is scheduled for consecutive Tuesdays beginning March 30. Read More

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has withdrawn from her scheduled engagement for this year’s IMPACT symposium. Details regarding refunds for ticket holders and a potential replacement date for the event are still forming. Read More

Vanderbilt's 2019 Impact Symposium will feature Ava DuVernay, whose directorial work includes the Oscar-winning historical drama "Selma" and the Oscar-nominated "13th"; Abby Wambach, Olympic gold medalist and World Cup soccer champion; and Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of the best-selling "Between the World and Me," which won the National Book Award in 2015. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Vanderbilt's history of encouraging open dialogue, which continues today, in this week's column. Read More

A little more than two months after he spoke to nearly 11,000 people at Vanderbilt’s 1968 student-led Impact Symposium, presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy was assassinated in California. Frye Gaillard writes about serveing as Impact’s chairman and Kennedy’s host at Vanderbilt. Read More

A U.S. flag that became the backdrop for the early years of Vanderbilt’s Impact Symposium will be unfurled, refolded and preserved during a campus ceremony to honor veterans Nov. 12. Read More

Six alumni—Bruce Heyman, John Hindle, Scott Hubbard, Paul Kurtz, Richard McCord and Mary Margaret Oliver—are the newest members of the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame. Read More

Chris Matthews didn’t disappoint “Hardball” fans in his Vanderbilt appearance March 27, criticizing Democrats, evangelicals and candidates from both major political parties. Read More

Vanderbilt's Impact Symposium, one of the oldest university lecture series of its caliber in the nation, this year features Chris Matthews, best-selling author and host of MSNBC’s "Hardball"; Hasan Minhaj, comedian, actor and senior correspondent for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah"; and Jessica Carbino, sociologist for the social and dating app Bumble. Read More

A lecture related to little-known African American sports history on Feb. 7 will lead off a series of events celebrating African American History Month at the Central Library. Read More

As the chairmen of the first five Impact sym­posia, we are delighted when articles about this important and unique Vanderbilt institution are published, most recently the “Speak Up” article written by Andrew Maraniss in the Spring 2017 issue. Read More

An Emmy-winning writer for 'The Daily Show,' three journalists whose careers have been shaped by innovation, and a woman judge who blazed new trails have been named to the Student Media Hall of Fame. Read More

Vanderbilt celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Impact Symposium, an event that will always be remembered as one of the signature moments in the university’s history. Read More

Van Jones, Ezra Klein, Shaun King and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will headline Vanderbilt University’s Impact Symposium March 27-29. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery presents “Race, Sports and Vanderbilt: 1966–1970,” which will showcase photographs, front pages from "The Tennessean," and related artifacts from this time period, beginning Friday, Sept. 23. Read More