JANUARY 2009

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Vanderbilt women crush No. 7 Tennessee

The Vanderbilt women's basketball team never let up as the No. 24 Commodores rolled to a 74-58 win over No. 7 Tennessee on Jan. 11. » Full Story

Vanderbilt rolls to victory in Music City Bowl

The Vanderbilt Commodores won their first bowl game in more than 50 years by beating Boston College 16-14 in the Music City Bowl on New Year's Eve. Get full Music City Bowl coverage at www.vanderbilt.edu/bowl.

Vanderbilt ranked 15th in best value

Kiplinger's Personal Finance kept Vanderbilt University at No. 15 on its annual list of "best value" universities. Vanderbilt held the same ranking last year in Kiplinger's listings of universities that best combine outstanding economic value with exceptional education. » Full Story

Vanderbilt's financial aid initiative attracts $20 million gift

Vanderbilt University's recently announced enhanced financial aid program has received a major boost with a $20 million gift from an anonymous donor. The enhanced program will replace all undergraduate need-based student loans with grants and scholarships beginning in fall 2009. » Full Story

Dever named dean of College of Arts and Science

Carolyn Dever, interim dean and professor of English, has been named dean of the College of Arts and Science. She replaces Richard McCarty, who was named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in May. » Full Story

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 upcoming chapter events include:

Atlanta
Dallas
Las Vegas
London

Nashville
Nashville AVBA
San Diego
St. Louis

View the current calendar of events planned in your area, and check back frequently.

Enjoy tulip time in Holland and Belgium

Join Jay Bloom, assistant professor of art history, for a cruise through picturesque Holland and Belgium April 18-26 amid blooming tulips and spinning windmills. This nine-day cruise starts at $2,151 per person. Contact the Vanderbilt Travel Program by e-mail or by phone at 615/322-2929 with questions or requests for a brochure.

From the Campus

Blair announces new endowed chair

Cornelia Heard, professor of music and chair of the strings department of the Blair School of Music, has been named the holder of the newly created Valere Blair Potter Chair. » Full Story

Miley Cyrus, dad pay holiday visit to Children's Hospital

Teen superstar Miley Cyrus brightened holidays for patients and family members at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt when she and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, spent more than two hours talking, singing and signing autographs. » Full Story

Grant to support new imaging program

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $7.5 million grant to the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to establish a new imaging program. A key goal is to develop imaging biomarkers to predict and measure whether patients respond to specific treatments. » Full Story

Vanderbilt faculty members elected AAAS fellows

Four Vanderbilt faculty members—Daniel Liebler, Charles Sanders, Gary Sulikowski and Michael Waterman—have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon them by their peers. » Full Story

Federal education policymakers to teach Peabody course

Two federal policymakers—Kerri Briggs, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, and Catherine Freeman, senior program officer for the National Research Center of the National Academies of Science—will lead a new special topics course in education policy this spring at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and human development. Freeman is a Peabody alumna. » Full Story

Susan Gray School achieves tougher accreditation

The Susan Gray School, part of Vanderbilt's Peabody College of education and human development, is one of the first programs in the nation to achieve accreditation under new, increased standards established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. » Full Story

VU alumna given prestigious award

Krista Walton, who received her doctorate in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt in 2005, was among 67 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering honored at a White House ceremony in December. » Full Story

Two professors awarded NEH grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities provided funding for research by two Vanderbilt professors. Tracy Miller, associate professor of the history of art, will use GPS technology to map and research ancient buildings in China. David Petrain, assistant professor of classics, will study Roman stone plaques about the Trojan War. » Full Story

Brisky retiring as vice chancellor for administration, CFO

Lauren J. Brisky, who has overseen the financial and administrative operations of Vanderbilt University for the past decade, will retire Feb. 1 after 20 years at Vanderbilt. » Full Story

Toft named associate vice chancellor for university development

Christopher P. Toft, a leading fundraiser in higher education and health care in Chicago, has been named associate vice chancellor for university development at Vanderbilt. » Full Story

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Remembering Music City Bowl Magic	Stealing in Music City: Music Piracy Seminar	VUCast: Remembering 2008

Vanderbilt in the News

Rural school bus transformed into a mobile classroom

The New York Times—The Aspirnauts program, which outfits school buses in rural Arkansas with wireless learning modules, was developed by Vanderbilt's Billy Hudson, the Elliot V. Newman Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry, and Julie Hudson, director of the Center for Evidence-Based Anesthesia and Legislative Affairs. » Full Story

Earley's novel named one of the best

The New York Times—The Blue Star by Tony Earley, the Samuel Milton Fleming Associate Professor of English at Vanderbilt, is listed among the newspaper's top 100 books of the year. » Full Story

Andrew Benedict, the people's banker, dies at 94

The Tennessean—Andrew Benedict Jr., BA'35, who became known as the people’s banker for his personal touch as board chair of First American National Bank, died Dec. 16. Mr. Benedict, 94, was a longtime member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, a past president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association and director of the Vanderbilt Development Foundation. » Full Story

In the brain, justice is served from many parts

Science News—For the first time, scientists have peered into the brains of people who are deciding whether a crime deserves punishment and how severe the penalty should be. The research was conducted by Owen Jones, professor of law and biological sciences, and René Marois, a neuroscientist and associate professor of psychology, both of Vanderbilt. » Full Story

Law schools move toward specialization

Chronicle of Higher Education—Many law schools have transformed their curriculum in recent years, setting up niche programs to attract students. Edward L. Rubin, dean of Vanderbilt University Law School and a former chairman of the Association of American Law Schools' curriculum, says specialization "has become almost the norm." » Full Story

Jimmy Webb Jr., mentor to many, dies Jan. 8

The Tennessean—Nashville banker, civic leader and Vanderbilt Board of Trust lifetime member James A. "Jimmy" Webb Jr., BA'47, passed away on Jan. 8. Mr. Webb, who came to Nashville in the early 1940s to play football at Vanderbilt, is remembered by many as a mentor. » Full Story

Sports News

Johnson shares SEC Coach of the Year Award

Southeastern Conference head coaches have picked Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson to share SEC Coach of the Year honors with Nick Saban of Alabama and Houston Nutt of Ole Miss. Johnson, in his seventh year at the helm of Vanderbilt football, shared the award after guiding the Commodores to their first postseason bowl appearance in 26 years. » Full Story

Baseball season tickets on sale

Season tickets for the 2009 Vanderbilt baseball season are available for as little as $75. Call the Vanderbilt Ticket Office at 615/322-GOLD or toll-free at 877/44-VANDY to order tickets. The 2009 home schedule features 33 games, including SEC series against Ole Miss, Florida and Tennessee.

Moore named second-team All-American

Vanderbilt junior cornerback D.J. Moore was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press in late December. » Full Story

Stallings wins 300th game

Junior guard Jermaine Beal scored 20 points as Vanderbilt opened the Southeastern Conference/Big East Invitational by beating South Florida 71-52 on Dec. 16 to hand Commodores Head Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings his 300th career victory. » Full Story

Vanderbilt runner nominated for Wooden Cup

A member of the Vanderbilt men's cross country team is one of five finalists for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, awarded to a student-athlete for being a positive influence. Vanderbilt senior Rob Whiting will learn whether he bests the other candidates at a Jan. 14 ceremony at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club. » Full Story

Cutler selected to Pro Bowl

Former Commodore football standout Jay Cutler, now quarterback for the NFL's Denver Broncos, was named to the AFC Pro Bowl Team. » Full Story

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