Impact Symposium
DuVernay withdraws from March 25 IMPACT series appearance
Mar. 25, 2019—Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has withdrawn from her scheduled engagement for this year’s IMPACT symposium.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.
Award-winning director Ava DuVernay, American soccer icon Abby Wambach, best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates headline Impact Symposium March 25-27
Mar. 11, 2019—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.
What’s On My Mind: Martin Luther King and the responsibility to speak up
Jan. 23, 2019—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.
Hope Shattered: Memories of a brief encounter with Robert Kennedy on campus
Nov. 19, 2018—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.
Flag ceremony to honor veterans and preserve Impact ‘treasure’
Oct. 19, 2018—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.
Six alumni join Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame in 2018
Oct. 10, 2018—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.
Matthews plays ‘Hardball’ on Trump, Democrats, others
Mar. 28, 2018—Chris Matthews didn’t disappoint “Hardball” fans in his Vanderbilt appearance March 27, criticizing Democrats, evangelicals and candidates from both major political parties.
Matthews, Minhaj, Carbino headline Vanderbilt University’s Impact Symposium March 26–28
Mar. 12, 2018—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.
African American history spotlighted at Central Library
Jan. 23, 2018—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.
More to the Story: Former Impact chairmen add to article about 1967 Symposium
Sep. 25, 2017—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.
Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame 2017 class named
Aug. 18, 2017—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.
Speak Up: MLK, Strom Thurmond and Others Put Impact on the Map 50 Years Ago
May. 29, 2017—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.