Office Of Federal Relations

To address the complexities AI poses to the nation’s economy and security, Vanderbilt University experts retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, founding director of Vanderbilt’s Institute of National Security, and Jesse Spencer-Smith, interim director of the Data Science Institute, shared crucial insights with a bipartisan group of congressional staff on Capitol Hill. Read More

18 Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral researchers traveled to Washington, D.C., in October to participate in Vanderbilt’s Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy Seminar. This two-day event is designed to provide STEM professionals with an inside look at the federal policymaking process, the importance of advocacy in advancing science and research priorities and to explore careers in science policy. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Office of Federal Relations hosted U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly on campus to talk about cybersecurity workforce shortages and the higher education cybersecurity ecosystem. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Jules White, a leading computer scientist and expert on large language models and prompt engineering, visited Capitol Hill recently to share his expertise with lawmakers. Read More

On National Humanities Alliance’s advocacy day in D.C., through a series of meetings and a social media campaign, Vanderbilt students advocated for federal funding to support the National Endowment for the Humanities. This effort was part of the Robert Penn Warren Center’s Humanities in the Real World: Undergraduate Advocacy Fellowship in collaboration with Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations.  Read More

Vanderbilt University Government Relations is hosting a student advocacy workshop on Thursday, April 4, 2:30–4 p.m. in the Kissam Multipurpose Room. The workshop will be an interactive working session about advocacy best practices to help equip students with practical skills they can use to advocate effectively for their interests. Read More

Krish Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor, met with members of Congress in early February to discuss the importance of engineering’s role in improving living standards, socioeconomic growth and global competitiveness. Read More

This biannual report serves as a roadmap to the division’s activities and achievements, summarizing engagements at all three levels of government, as outlined by the Vanderbilt Federal Relations, State Government Relations and Local Government Relations teams. Read More

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, Vanderbilt’s campus congressman, visited to meet with Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and participate in discussions with School of Medicine students and Bass Military Scholars. Read More

The resolution highlights Vanderbilt’s significant role in driving economic growth, promoting research and development, and cultivating a vibrant intellectual community. Read More

Federal policies have a significant impact on Vanderbilt, impacting the academic mission as well as the research enterprise. DCbrief covers the breadth of federal policy issues that could impact the university and provides readers with a concise roundup of important developments. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier met with members of Congress to advocate for federal investments in research and higher education. He urged for robust federal research funding and student aid programs, and highlighted Vanderbilt’s leading role in building the innovation ecosystem in Tennessee, particularly in the automotive industry. Read More

In March, humanities advocates converged on Washington, D.C., for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate in person for funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Elizabeth Meadows, associate director of the Robert Penn Warren Center, was joined by two undergraduate students and members of the RPW Student Advisory Council—Coco Randolph and Shunnar Virani—to discuss how the humanities are shaping their education.    Read More

Philippe Fauchet, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, met with members of Congress last week while in Washington, D.C., to emphasize the integral role that engineering research plays in strengthening the United States’ competitiveness and security. Read More

Nineteen Vanderbilt Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to attend the fifth in-person Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy seminar. While a condensed virtual version of the event was offered in fall 2020 and 2021, this was the first in-person federal STEM seminar since 2018. Read More

June 23 marks the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant, a federal student aid program that has expanded higher education opportunities for millions of low-income Americans. To celebrate the historic milestone, Vanderbilt has joined with others in the higher ed community to highlight Pell's value and impact and underscore the need for Congress to reinvest in the program.  Read More

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier led 66 other leaders of Tennessee’s colleges and universities today in sending a letter to the Tennessee congressional delegation urging them to make an affordable, high-quality college education more attainable for students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and permanently indexing the grant to inflation to ensure that its value will no longer diminish over time. Read More

Several Vanderbilt offices will partner to host two virtual events for undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs focused on federal science, technology, engineering and mathematics policy on Nov. 1 and 8. Read More

Two graduate students from Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering and one from the School of Medicine Basic Sciences recently addressed legislators in Washington, D.C., virtually, sharing stories about the important role funding from the National Science Foundation has played in their research and training. Read More

United States Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond recently visited Vanderbilt to learn about the pioneering aerospace engineering projects at the university’s research institutes and trans-institutional programs. Read More