Opportunity Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt experience is woven into the lives of Allyson Maske, BS’92, and Jim Maske, BE’93, MBA’99, who first met as undergraduates. Between them, they have attended four of Vanderbilt’s schools and colleges, and their son, J.D., is a member of the Class of 2028 at Peabody College. The Maskes are on the Parent Leadership Committee and made recent gifts to Vandy United and Opportunity Vanderbilt in support of the university’s Dare to Grow campaign. Read More

The 2025 Southern Festival of Books, presented by Vanderbilt University in partnership with Humanities Tennessee, will connect faculty, students, alumni and others with university ties to a vast community that shares their love for creative expression. The festival, now in its 37th year, will be at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee State Library and Archives Oct. 18–19. Admission is free. Read More

Spurred by the steadfast momentum of the Dare to Grow campaign and the generous support of the Vanderbilt community, the 2025 fiscal year was the strongest year of fundraising in Vanderbilt University’s 152-year history. In addition to raising $345 million in new commitments, the university also exceeded its ambitious goal to engage 100,000 alumni through the campaign’s call to “Give, Go, Help, Share.” Read More

In late June, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier traveled to Washington, D.C., for a day of congressional meetings and to headline Vanderbilt University’s congressional reception. His visit, organized by Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations, came at a pivotal moment as Congress considers sweeping budget and tax legislation.  Read More

Nearly 150 parent and alumni leaders gathered on campus Feb. 28 and March 1 for Vanderbilt’s eighth annual Volunteer Leadership Weekend. Attendees of the weekend events included representatives from many alumni and parent groups across the university. Read More

Alumnus, trustee emeritus and Nashville real estate visionary James Stephen “Steve” Turner, a prominent university benefactor whose gifts included funding for commissioned works for Blair School of Music signature ensembles, died Feb. 11. He was 77. Read More

The Dare to Grow campaign, which was launched publicly in spring 2023, has eclipsed its $3.2 billion fundraising goal 20 months ahead of its target date of June 30, 2026, underscoring the generosity of donors, widespread enthusiasm for the university’s vision and boundless potential for the future. The news is both a celebration and a call to action as Vanderbilt looks ahead to deepening its impact in Nashville, across the nation and around the world. 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

The new scholarship program, Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars, aims to get more students from Nashville high schools into Vanderbilt classrooms. Read More

More than 150 alumni and parent volunteers gathered on campus March 1–2 for Vanderbilt’s seventh annual Volunteer Leadership Weekend. Attendees of the weekend events included representatives from many alumni and parent groups across the university. Read More

Vanderbilt University is expanding Opportunity Vanderbilt, its nationally recognized no-loan financial aid program. Read More

Rosevelt and Kristen Noble have long ties to Vanderbilt University. The alums are raising their children—daughter, Jordan, and son, Rosevelt III—on campus at Stambaugh House. The entire family is featured in this year’s Vanderbilt Holiday Gift Guide, available to shop online now through Dec. 31. Read More

In April, at the outset of its yearlong Sesquicentennial celebration, Vanderbilt launched a bold giving campaign called Dare to Grow, which aims to empower and support students, advance pathbreaking discoveries and promote radical collaboration across the university. As its volunteer co-chairs, trustees Steven Madden and Mark Mays will help bring the campaign’s goals to life. Read More

Stronger than at any other time in our history, we are positioned to do more than just meet the challenges of our times. We have what it takes to thrive and lead—to define and become the great university of this century. Read More

To continue the legacy in education to which Bess Parks owes her own career, she wants to give back to those who need help paying for higher education. Through the establishment of two charitable remainder unitrusts and a retirement plan beneficiary designation, she’s found a way to do that and honor the memory of her mother, also a teacher. Read More

A $5 million gift from Robert M. Levy, BA’72, and his wife, Diane vS. Levy, to Vanderbilt University will provide internship stipends for deserving undergraduate students and seek additional giving through a challenge match. Read More

Vanderbilt ranked No. 1 in the “Great Financial Aid” and “Their Students Love These Colleges” categories in The Princeton Review’s latest Best Colleges rankings. The university also ranked No. 3 for “Best Counseling Services” based on students’ positive opinion of the support and counseling services they receive at Vanderbilt. Read More

Vice Provost Douglas L. Christiansen, who oversees undergraduate admissions and enrollment management, offers a few tips here for helping your child execute a successful college search process. Read More

It wasn’t the unfamiliarity of a new city or the intimidation of a new faculty position that stood out to Fräncille Bergquist when she first came to Vanderbilt in 1977. The new professor of Spanish was taken aback by the rolling hills and green trees of Middle Tennessee—a stark contrast… Read More

Karen White, BA’11, was born to be an advocate. Her first experience in advocacy was for herself at the age of 15, when she left a volatile home life and struggled to support herself through periods of homelessness. “I remember sleeping on the couch in the tattoo parlor… Read More