John Geer
Vanderbilt Poll: Approvals slip for Nashville’s elected leaders, public schools; mayor receives high marks for response to challenging issues
Apr. 15, 2021—Davidson County voters have slightly less confidence in their elected officials and core institutions compared to last year; however, a majority of Nashville residents still think the city is “generally headed in the right direction,” according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville.
Vanderbilt Arts and Science professor named 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Apr. 14, 2021—Emily Greble, a historian of modern Europe whose research explores how the Balkans challenge presumptions about European history, is among 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists awarded a 2021 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship.
John Lachs, longtime Vanderbilt philosophy professor, to retire in August
Apr. 2, 2021—Centennial Professor of Philosophy John Lachs will retire and receive emeritus status on Aug. 15, after more than 50 years of teaching at Vanderbilt University. Lachs’ thought-provoking lectures have been perennial favorites among not only students, but also many alumni, who eagerly have signed up for his numerous appearances at Reunion and Vanderbilt chapter events.
Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science recognizes outstanding faculty teaching during COVID-19 pandemic
Mar. 8, 2021—The College of Arts and Science has recognized more than 50 faculty with COVID-19 Innovative Teaching Awards, which celebrate faculty who responded to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 by going above and beyond in adapting their coursework and teaching during the fall 2020 semester.
Bordenstein elected to American Academy of Microbiology
Mar. 2, 2021—Seth Bordenstein, Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, has been elected to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology.
Vanderbilt chemist wins Sloan Research Fellowship
Feb. 16, 2021—Assistant Professor of Chemistry Steven D. Townsend, PhD’10, has been awarded a 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship, one of the highest honors for young scientists who have the potential to revolutionize their fields of study.
Alumni couple makes $5M gift to establish center dedicated to presidential scholarship
Feb. 15, 2021—Vanderbilt University announced today that alumni Carolyn Thomas Rogers, BA’75, and Robert Moss Rogers, BA’75, have made a $5 million gift to establish the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency in the College of Arts and Science.
Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy debuts with conversation series featuring Gore, Rice, Meacham
Jan. 12, 2021—Former Vice President Al Gore and the 66th Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice each will provide timely conversations with Vanderbilt’s Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and biographer, on Thursday, Jan. 14, to support the debut of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy.
Alumna joins faculty as research professor in political science and law
Jan. 12, 2021—Samar Ali, JD’06, BS’03, has joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University as a research professor in political science and law. Her appointment was announced by John Geer, the Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and Chris Guthrie, dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law.
Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy aims to heal societal divisions
Jan. 12, 2021—After months of exploring how higher education could play a meaningful and active role in bridging longstanding partisan fissures, Vanderbilt University today launched the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, which aims to strengthen the nation’s democratic institutions by advancing evidence-based research in the national discourse on unity.
Vanderbilt Poll: Unprecedented partisanship divides Tennesseans on COVID-19 vaccine, election results
Dec. 17, 2020—The deep partisan divide in Tennessee has never been more apparent than on the questions of whether citizens will get the COVID-19 vaccine and curb holiday travel at the height of the global pandemic, according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Tennessee. The poll also found a deep chasm between registered voters on the legitimacy of the results of the presidential election.
Vanderbilt honors 29 distinguished faculty with endowed chairs
Nov. 11, 2020—Twenty-nine prominent faculty from across campus comprise Vanderbilt University’s latest endowed chair honorees. They include scholars working in diverse areas—from election analysis and lung cancer research to the nascent field of neurolaw, exploring the brain mechanism underlying legal decision-making.