Vanderbilt Magazine

Identical twins Jade and Jazmyn Ayers have immersed themselves in literature and personal narratives for years, leading to majors in English as well as a creative way to pair storytelling with another of their passions: medicine. Read More

Charles E. Roos, a retired physics professor who built his department’s research in areas ranging from superconducting wire to recycling technology, has died. He was 93. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Faculty Fellowship Challenge, launched in September 2018 to create fellowships and directorships to fuel research discoveries and expand teaching opportunities, successfully concluded in December 2020 with 36 positions created, supported by 31 unique endowments from alumni and other donors. The university backed the challenge with a matching investment. Read More

Betsega Bekele, MEd'14, helps lead American Portrait, a multiplatform, national storytelling project tied to PBS’ 50th anniversary celebration. The digital-first initiative that launched online in January 2020 is centered on this question: What does it really mean to be an American today? Read More

Assistant Professor of History of Art Rebecca VanDiver focuses her research on African American artists—particularly Black female artists of the 20th century. In the classroom, she presents art history not only as a discipline that allows for a study of the history of artistic movements and style, but also as a lens to study culture and history. Read More

Major Jackson, who joined the university’s faculty as Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English in January 2021, is the author of five books of poetry. Read More

Annie Beatrice “Bea” Martin, a retired teacher and administrator who was committed to education, outreach and social justice, died Oct. 11, 2020. She was 87. Read More

James Richard Tuck of Nashville, retired associate general counsel of the National Life and Accident Insurance Co. and charter member of the Nashville Metropolitan Council, died Aug. 20, 2020. He was 102. Over his long life, he was part of some key stories in the 20th-century history of Nashville. Read More

The Vanderbilt community heard unique insights and discussions with business leaders and innovators at Owen Forward, a weeklong virtual celebration of Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management held Nov. 9–13. Read More

Education Concern Center Nepal, or ECC, was cofounded in 2017 by Janie Kaiser, BS'15, who serves as its managing director. The center uses a four-part program—teacher training, classroom materials, improved infrastructure and teacher support—to expand educational resources in Nepal's remote schools. Read More

The first African American to earn a doctorate in human genetics from Vanderbilt, Janina Jeff, MS'12, PhD'12, launched an award-winning podcast called "In Those Genes" that translates cutting-edge genetic research into everyday language that uncovers the lost identities of African-descended Americans through the lens of Black culture. Read More

By Lisa Robbins and GayNelle Doll The following is adapted from the story “Deep Roots, Strong Tree,” which originally appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of Vanderbilt Magazine. During his gubernatorial campaign, Lamar Alexander donned a red and black plaid shirt and walked across much of Tennessee to meet voters. Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the entire Vanderbilt community to change its routines. But because of the live-performance nature of music schools, the Blair School has implemented numerous precautions to ensure that faculty and students remain safe—all while maintaining a semblance of the highly personalized instruction for which Blair is known. Read More

A new Vanderbilt event series highlighting diverse voices on vital issues, ’Dores in Dialogue, kicked off on Dec. 2, 2020, with a conversation on eliminating racial disparities in public safety and policing. The event was presented by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association and the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni. Read More

Lessons learned in the executive MBA program at Owen have helped Bob Rolfe, EMBA'88, in business and as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Read More

Kim Wolensky, BS'79, MBA'80, has documented her intent to establish the Kim E. Lazarus Scholarship to provide need-based financial support for deserving students at Owen by designating Vanderbilt as the beneficiary of an individual retirement account to endow the scholarship, with a separate portion directed to her sorority Alpha Delta Pi–Zeta Rho chapter. Read More

Two Vanderbilt alumnae—Dr. Jill Moses, MD’91, and Annie Moon, MSN’03—are helping lead the fight against COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Native American reservation. Read More

A note of thanks to all the alumni who volunteered their time, expertise and energy to support Vanderbilt students during the unprecedented challenges of the past year from Vanderbilt Alumni Association President Tim Warnock Read More

Edwin Wilson, BA'50, recounts his journey in theatre, from Nashville to New York, in a memoir, Magic Time: Notes on Theatre & Other Entertainments (Smith and Kraus, 2020). Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have acquired a collection of rare photographs of, and by, the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., ’71—a pivotal figure in the history of the civil rights movement and Vanderbilt University. Read More