A Word on Year-End Giving 
If you’ve made, or are considering, a year-end gift to Vanderbilt--thank you. To ensure that your gift is considered deductible in 2007, please give by Monday, Dec. 31. To access Vanderbilt’s online giving form (or a printable form), click here. (Mailed gifts must be postmarked by midnight, Dec. 31, to be tax deductible.)

 

News from Alumni Relations

Find Vanderbilt Events at a Chapter Near You Connect with fellow Vanderbilt alumni and friends at chapter events in your area. Cities with December chapter events include: Atlanta Chicago New York City Austin Houston Palm Beach Boston Louisville San Diego Click here for the current calendar of all events planned in your area, and check back frequently because new events are always being added.

 

Schwartz Receives Alumni Education Award
Thomas Schwartz, professor of history, has received the 2008 Alumni Education Award, presented annually in recognition of a faculty member's outstanding contribution to the Alumni Association’s Alumni Education Program. Schwartz will be formally recognized at a dinner on April 4, 2008. He has given talks to alumni across the United States and is hosting the Vanderbilt Travel Program’s 2008 trip to Vietnam/Cambodia. 

Last Call for Alumni Interviewers 

The admissions office encourages Vanderbilt alumni to interview undergraduate applicants. To learn more and to enroll as an interviewer, visit the Alumni Interviewing Program (AIP) Web site. Please sign up by Dec. 31 to participate during this admissions season. For more information, contact Tricia Blumenthal at 615/343-1269. 

Consider Vanderbilt Class Rings as Holiday Gifts 

This holiday season, give the gift of tradition with the official Vanderbilt class ring for alumni and students. For more info, contact Balfour Rings at http://www.balfour.com/ or visit the Vanderbilt Bookstore. 

Give the Gift of Travel This Year 

Looking for a unique holiday gift? Give your loved one the culturally enriching experience of a trip with the Vanderbilt Travel Program. The 2008 offerings include trips to India, Paris, the Yucatan and Vietnam/Cambodia. Contact the Travel Program office by e-mailing alumni.travel@vanderbilt.edu or phoning 615/322-2929. 

Let Us Help with Your Holiday Cards 

Use Dore2Dore, Vanderbilt's free, online searchable directory, to find your Vanderbilt classmates’ addresses for holiday cards. And while you’re there, don't forget to update your own contact information so your old friends can find you.

Molly Miller Receives Chancellor's Cup 

Molly Miller, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Vanderbilt for 30 years, was surprised in her classroom in October by Interim Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and given the Chancellor’s Cup. The annual Chancellor's Cup presentation recognizes the greatest recent contribution outside the classroom to undergraduate student-faculty relationships. The award was established by the Nashville Vanderbilt Club in 1963. Club President Elizabeth Gerken accompanied Zeppos for the presentation at which Miller received a $2,000 check and a pewter cup from the club. 

Film Director and Vanderbilt Graduate Delbert Mann Dead at 87 

Delbert Mann, who directed scores of Hollywood films and television productions, including the winner of the 1955 Academy Award for best picture, Marty, died Nov. 11 in Los Angeles. The 1941 Vanderbilt graduate and 1999 winner of the Distinguished Alumnus Award was an Emeritus Trustee. During his long career, Mann worked with such stars as Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, Angela Lansbury, Walter Matthau and George C. Scott.

 

From the Campus

Clay, Johnson and Thackston Receive Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Awards 

W. Robert Clay, John W. Johnson and Edward Thackston recently received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering. Clay retired in 1990 after a 36-year career with DuPont. Johnson is chairman of Permian Mud Service, an international oil field service business. For the last 19 years of his 35-year career at Vanderbilt, Thackston was chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. 

Vanderbilt Partners With Nashville Film Festival to Create New Award

The Nashville Film Festival has partnered with Vanderbilt to present the Golden Opportunity Award for the best college-student short-form film. “Sponsoring this award will help increase interest among student producers and draw some attention to Vanderbilt's exciting new programs in film and media studies while also supporting a vibrant community event," said Michael Schoenfeld, vice chancellor for public affairs.

New Undergraduate Class Explores Whether Genes Affect Political Behavior 

A new Vanderbilt undergraduate class blends politics and genetics to study the impact of genetic make-up on an individual's political behavior. The spring 2008 course will be taught by Distinguished Professor of Political Science John Geer and David Bader, a professor of cell and development biology and professor of medicine.

Vanderbilt Receives 11 MidSouth Regional Emmy Nominations 

Vanderbilt received 11 MidSouth Regional Emmy nominations in the Advanced Media categories, marking the first time the university has been recognized in the competition for the highest honor in television. The Vanderbilt News Service received nine nominations, and the Learning Sciences Institute received two.

Committee Formed to Select New Leader for Library 
Nineteen Vanderbilt leaders will help fill the position of university librarian at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. The search committee was announced by Dennis Hall, associate provost for research and graduate education. Longtime University Librarian Paul Gherman has announced his retirement effective  at the end of the academic year.

Three Faculty Members Elected AAAS Fellows 

Two Vanderbilt faculty members--Peter T. Cummings and Ellen H. Fanning--have been elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon them by their peers. Thomas A. Cruse, the H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus, at Vanderbilt also has been elected a fellow.

Former Engineering Dean Dies 

Robert S. Rowe, who guided the Vanderbilt School of Engineering in the 1960s from a mostly technical training unit to one that offered graduate degrees and whose faculty engaged in advanced research, died Nov. 3 in Sebring, Fla. He was 87. 

Vanderbilt in the News

Meet Alumna Anne Davis, Nashville's New First Lady
THE TENNESSEAN--A profile of Anne Davis, JD’81, an instructor of legal writing at the Vanderbilt School of Law and wife of recently elected Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, JD’81.

The Real Cost of Smoking
CONDÉ NAST PORTFOLIO.COM-- Every pack of cigarettes that an adult male smokes knocks off $222 from the value of that man's life, according to a study by W. Kip Viscusi, University Distinguished Professor of Law, Management and Economics, and Joni Hersch, professor of law.

The Writing on the Wall 
NEWSWEEK--Evidence is growing that handwriting fluency is a fundamental building block of learning. A new study by Steve Graham, professor of special education, finds that a majority of primary-school teachers believe that students with fluent handwriting produce higher-quality written assignments.

Little Evidence Silicon Breast Implants Harm Health 
WASHINGTON POST--Silicone breast implants do not increase the risk of cancers, connective tissue diseases, or other serious chronic diseases, according to researchers at Vanderbilt and the International Epidemiology Institute.

Sports News

Vanderbilt Men Win South Padre Island Tourney 

THE TENNESSEAN--It looked like Vanderbilt was going to blow Bradley University out of the water in the championship game of the South Padre Island Tournament. The Commodores didn't, and in fact it got kind of dicey. But in the end Vandy, which led 55-53 at halftime, held on to win 95-86.

Vanderbilt Women's Team Captures Thanksgiving Tournament  
THE TENNESSEAN--It was business as usual for No. 25 Vanderbilt's women's basketball team, which gave Iowa State little to be thankful for Nov. 25 in the championship of the Commodores Thanksgiving Tournament. Even after the Cyclones cut Vanderbilt's lead to two in the second half, the Commodores remained cool on the way to a 62-53 victory before a crowd of 3,907 at Memorial Gym.

 

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