John Geer

For the second year running, the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville shows more than half of respondents believe the city is on the wrong track. This trend is amplified by a plurality of respondents indicating the growth of the city is making their quality of life worse, rather than better or having no effect. Read More

John G. Geer, a distinguished political scientist, a dedicated teacher and a longtime administrative and academic strategy leader at Vanderbilt University, will take on a new role in the Office of the Chancellor. Geer has been named a senior advisor to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier on key strategic initiatives that promote democracy, free expression and open dialogue—all flagship priorities for the university. Read More

The Center for Digital Humanities is now part of the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Established in 2016 with a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the center provides a hub for exploration at the intersection of innovative technology and humanities research. Read More

The Medieval Academy of America has elected William Caferro, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History, to its 2023 Class of Fellows. Read More

Growing worries among Grundy County, Tennessee, residents about cancer outbreaks within families, churches and neighborhoods have propelled a community partnership drawing on Vanderbilt University’s strengths to develop environmental and health self-assessment tools. Read More

To cultivate transformational connections across campus, the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will launch the Vanderbilt Unity Lab this spring. The Unity Lab will equip VU community members with the tools necessary to strengthen the bonds of cultural affinity and promote civil discourse. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to apply for program training positions. Read More

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie “Tuna” Moore, a highly decorated pilot who led the day-to-day operations of U.S. Cyber Command, has joined Vanderbilt University’s initiative on the future of conflict. Read More

Tennessee Republicans favor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over former President Donald Trump to be the party’s presidential nominee in 2024 by double digits, according to the latest statewide Vanderbilt Poll, which also found shifting public attitudes around access to abortion. Read More

A pair of U.S. Department of Education grants totaling $1.7 million awarded to Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies will allow for innovation in curriculum and promotion of public awareness about Latin America.  Read More

John Kuriyan, one of the world’s most esteemed structural biologists, will become dean of Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine Basic Sciences effective Jan. 1, 2023. Read More

A $5 million gift from Suzanne Perot McGee, BS’86, Patrick K. McGee, BS’85, and their family to the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University will establish a new center dedicated to analyzing the media, using the cutting-edge tools of data science. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is launching a series of conversations and interviews this summer featuring experts on the important issues facing America today. Guests include New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Yuval Levin, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and more. Read More

In a sign that malaise over rising inflation and stressors related to pandemic recovery could be influencing Tennesseans’ attitudes toward elected leaders, support for President Joe Biden and Gov. Bill Lee has dropped among registered voters, according to the most recent statewide Vanderbilt Poll. Read More

Tiffiny Tung, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, and Bunmi Olatunji, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, were recently appointed associate provosts for doctoral programs and will lead efforts to enhance doctoral training, policies, student recruitment and experiences. Read More

Christopher M.S. Johns, the Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Professor of Fine Arts and professor of history of art and architecture, died at his home on May 8 after a long illness. Read More

For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Davidson County voters are concerned about affordable housing and crime, but give positive marks to Mayor John Cooper and other local leaders. Read More

A new index designed by researchers at Vanderbilt University shows a steady erosion of trust in American political institutions over the past 40 years, with it hitting its lowest point in 2017 after racial unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia. Read More

Nearly 200 alumni and parent volunteers returned to campus April 1–2 for the annual Volunteer Leadership Weekend. The weekend’s theme, Vanderbilt in Classroom, Community and Conversation, was designed to give university volunteer leaders an inside view of changes underway at Vanderbilt and to provide firsthand insights from university leaders, faculty and students about how these initiatives improve the educational experience.   Read More

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has selected Kimberly Welch, a Vanderbilt scholar of American slavery, race and law, for a New Directions Fellowship that will expand her interdisciplinary research on African Americans and the history of finance. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier recently shared the manuscript for his forthcoming book on corporate reputation with a small group of faculty whose diverse areas of expertise reflect the cross-disciplinary approach of his academic research. Read More