Residential Colleges

Tucker Biddlecombe, professor of music in Blair School of Music and associate dean of undergraduate education, will succeed Melissa Gresalfi, who has served since 2019 as dean of residential colleges and residential education and dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons.  Read More

In many ways, the stigma around mental health has started to soften in recent years, especially as more public figures speak out about their struggles and as more resources become available at Vanderbilt and beyond. But donors Diana Grant, BA’85, and Daniel Frey are committed to taking this progress even further. Read More

Vanderbilt Residential Colleges has named Jeremi London faculty head of Memorial House on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. London, associate professor of mechanical engineering and an associate provost in the Office of Undergraduate Education, will assume the role July 1, 2026. She succeeds Celso Castilho, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies, who has served as faculty head since 2021. Read More

Each fall, Vanderbilt University welcomes a cohort of more than 1,600 new first-year undergraduate students. As new students learn what it means to be a member of the Vanderbilt community, they participate in an extended orientation program called Vanderbilt Visions—small seminars with 18–20 students designed to support their transition to college life, foster community connection and introduce them to the wide range of resources available to support their success. Each Visions group is facilitated by a faculty member and an upper-division peer mentor, known as VUceptors, who work together to model dynamic and meaningful faculty-student engagement. VUceptors support first-year students throughout CommonVU Orientation and during the six-week Vanderbilt Visions program.  Read More

Melissa Gresalfi will step down as Vanderbilt University’s dean of residential colleges and residential education and dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Tiffiny Tung announced today. Gresalfi, who also is a professor of mathematics education, has been given an opportunity to enhance her research projects. Her last day as dean is June 30.   Read More

Vanderbilt University will embark on an expansion of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons on the Peabody campus, to open for the start of the 2027–28 academic year. Read More

On campus, the buildings where the small details of collegiate life happen—where roommates first meet, lifelong friendships form and conversations take place over meals and countless cups of coffee—often matter as much as calculus or English. These are the places where memories are built. Branscomb and McTyeire were the heart and soul of many fond campus experiences, some of them life-changing. Read More

The Vanderbilt University English Language Center and Residential Colleges recently partnered for the Explore Nashville program to provide students with an enriching cultural experience connected to the Southern Festival of Books. The festival was co-presented by Vanderbilt University… Read More

More than 1,600 first-year students were asked to interview someone in their community who could deepen, broaden or shift their understanding of the world—and to document the experience through a written story or reflection. This exercise, the first of its kind at Vanderbilt, drew a response that was nothing short of extraordinary.   Read More

Engaging in thoughtful dialogue is not only essential in today’s society, but also is a trademark of the Vanderbilt experience, which begins with the first-year experience on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. On Sunday, Sept. 14, author Jacqueline Woodson spoke to a packed Langford Auditorium for the 19th Annual Lawson Lecture and offered a master class for the Class of 2029 on using storytelling to foster discourse and find connection, continuing the 2025–26 first-year programming theme of “Stories that Connect Us.”   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

Relive the joy and energy of one of Vanderbilt's favorite traditions Move In Day 2025! Read More

Learn about the newest faculty head of house and his special ties to Vanderbilt long before he became a professor. Read More

Get to know Jesse Spencer-Smith's favorite food, books, music and why he's excited to be faculty head of Sutherland House on the Ingram Commons. Read More

This summer, Vanderbilt’s incoming first-year students will take on a new challenge: learning to listen with curiosity. As part of the 2025–26 Martha Rivers Ingram Commons programming theme, “Stories that Connect Us,” students will conduct interviews during the summer with members of their communities, practicing the skills of thoughtful listening and engaged dialogue.  Read More

The upper-division residential colleges will welcome Jesús Ruiz, who will lead Moore College, and The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons will welcome Gilbert Gonzales as faculty head of Crawford House and Justin Quarry as faculty head of East House.   Read More

A key component of first-year student support is Vanderbilt’s six-week extended orientation program, Vanderbilt Visions. Vanderbilt Visions is co-facilitated by an upper-division peer mentor and a faculty member, called VUceptors. VUceptors support students throughout CommonVU Orientation and for the duration of the Vanderbilt Visions program. Faculty who would like to learn more about serving in the role of a faculty VUceptor are invited to an interest breakfast on Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 9 to 10 a.m. at The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons dean’s residence, located at 1235 18th Ave. S. Read More

Vanderbilt Residential Colleges announces a new faculty head of Sutherland House on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. Jesse Spencer-Smith, interim director and chief data scientist at the Data Science Institute and professor of the practice of computer science, will assume the role of faculty head beginning Jan. 1, 2025. He will succeed Chezare Warren, associate professor of equity and inclusion in education policy in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, who has served as faculty head since 2021. 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

Driven by a bold vision to offer undergraduate students a dynamic residential college experience, Vanderbilt University will plan to build four new residential colleges in its Central Neighborhood.  Read More