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   NOVEMBER 2009
Vanderbilt University

reunionReunion class gifts top $38 million

More than 5,100 alumni returned to campus Oct. 16-17 for Reunion/Homecoming to reconnect with friends and enjoy a weekend of activities, including educational events, Reunion class parties, the Homecoming tailgate, and the Vanderbilt-Georgia game. Reunion classes raised more than $38 million for Vanderbilt. Stay tuned for details about Reunion/Homecoming 2010, scheduled for Oct. 22-23. View photos from Reunion'09

Recovery Act boosts Vanderbilt research dollarsRecovery Act boosts Vanderbilt research dollars

Scientific and medical researchers at Vanderbilt have received 180 grants totaling more than $74 million in first-year funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Full Story »

Black alumni organization celebrates 25th anniversary

Alumni from across the country gathered on campus Oct. 15-17 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni. The highlight of the weekend was a Friday night banquet featuring guest speaker Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III, MDiv'92. Full Story »

News from
Alumni Relations

Career Moves
Career Moves program launching

The Vanderbilt Alumni Association invites alumni and their families to register for Career Moves, a networking and career coaching seminar led by nationally recognized executive coaches. Cost varies by location but includes a daylong seminar, refreshments and lunch. Seminars are slated for Nashville, Atlanta, and New York City on Nov. 7; Los Angeles, Detroit, Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 14; San Francisco on Nov. 15; and Chicago on Feb. 6, 2010.

Chapter Events - Current Calendar All
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
Birmingham, Ala.
Boston
Charlotte, N.C.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Detroit

 

Houston
Los Angeles
London
Nashville
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, D.C.


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

Help recruit future Commodores

Help recruit future Commodores The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is looking for alumni to represent Vanderbilt at college fairs and to interview applicants in the United States and abroad. International Commodore Recruitment Programs (CoRPs) volunteers interviewed almost 100 students outside the country last winter, and alumni will be needed again to represent Vanderbilt in London, Paris and Kaiserslautern, Germany. Enroll today or contact the CoRPs team at (615) 343-8286 with questions.

Experience sophisticated Egypt March 4–17
Experience sophisticated Egypt March 4-17

Travel to Egypt for an exceptional tour of ancient history with Professor Barbara Tsakirgis, chair of the classical studies department. The group will journey from Cairo to Luxor, followed by a cruise down the Nile River. Prices start at $5,950 per person (airfare not included). Contact the Vanderbilt Travel Program at (615) 322-2929 with questions or to request a brochure.

Give Now

Every day, every year, Vanderbilt reaches new levels of success thanks to gifts from alumni, parents and friends. Please consider making your online gift now.

iTunesU
VU + iTunes = iTunesU

Download coursework, lectures, news, music, sports, special events and more. Play on your iPod, Mac or PC, or burn a CD. Explore a world of knowledge at Vanderbilt. » Full Story

Pave the way with your own brick
Pave the way with
your own brick

Vanderbilt fans can now purchase personalized bricks to be installed in two beautiful walkways leading to the newly renovated east and west gates at Vanderbilt Stadium. » Build your brick

From the Campus

Army salutes Vandy ROTC unit
Army salutes Vandy ROTC unit

Vanderbilt's Army ROTC is ranked second in the nation, topping nearly 300 schools with officer education programs, according to statistics recently released by U.S. Army Cadet Command. Full Story »

M.F.A. creative writing program ranked No. 18

Four years after its creation and only a year and a half after granting degrees to its first class, Vanderbilt's master of fine arts degree program in creative writing has been ranked No. 18 in the country by Poets & Writers magazine. Full Story »

Magdalene House rebuilds lives

When the Rev. Becca Stevens, MDiv'90, came to Vanderbilt in 1995 to serve as the chaplain for St. Augustine's Chapel, little did she know her desire to assist women in recovery from lives of prostitution and drug abuse would turn into a nonprofit organization that is a national model. Full Story »

Senior named Miss Tennessee International

Vanderbilt senior Jensen Hart captured the title of Miss Tennessee International 2010 in Cookeville, Tenn., on Sept. 27. An aspiring physician, Hart is a founding member of Vanderbilt's Rescue and Aid for the Dominican Republic organization, which seeks to expand awareness of global health issues. Full Story »

Alumni honored at Engineering Celebration Dinner

Carl E. Adams Jr., BE'65, MS'66; George E. Cook, BE'60, PhD'65; and Charles E. Fields Jr., BE'68, each received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Engineering during the Engineering Celebration Dinner on Oct. 15. Full Story »

Poet, critic Rosanna Warren presents lecture

Rosanna Warren, the renowned poet, critic and daughter of writers Robert Penn Warren, BA'25, and Eleanor Clark, presented this year's Howard C. Howard Jr. Lecture on Oct. 29. Warren was visiting Vanderbilt as a guest of the Warren Center, named for her father. Full Story »

Faculty News

Gates Foundation grant to support malaria research

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Associate Professor of Chemistry David Wright and Professor of Biomedical Engineering Rick Haselton a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant, which will support their innovative research to develop a simple, low-cost diagnostic test for malaria infection. Full Story »

Braxton wins prestigious faculty awardBraxton wins prestigious faculty award

John M. Braxton, professor of education at Peabody College, recently was surprised in his Payne Hall classroom by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, who presented him with the 2009 Chancellor's Cup, which recognizes contributions outside the classroom to undergraduate student-faculty relationships. Full Story »

Rokas honored by National Science Foundation

Antonis Rokas, assistant professor of biological sciences, has received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation for his work in genomics. Full Story »

Structure of infectious proteins revealed

Collaboration between scientists at Vanderbilt and the University of California, San Francisco, has led to the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions—infectious proteins responsible for mad cow disease and other serious illnesses. Full Story »

Astronomers search for dark energyAstronomers search for dark energy

Vanderbilt astronomers are participating in the most ambitious attempt yet to trace the history of the universe. Full Story »

Vanderbilt joins stem cell consortium

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been named one of nine research hubs of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium, a seven-year, $170 million research initiative to develop the field of stem and progenitor cell tools and therapies. Full Story »

vanderbilt.media

Video: VUCast: Fast food and Jeopardy

Video: VUCast: Fast food
and Jeopardy

Video: VUCast: Bringing art to the iPhone

Video: VUCast: Bringing art
to the iPhone

Video: The Rev. James Lawson presents the Cole Lectures

Video: The Rev. James Lawson presents the Cole Lectures

Vanderbilt in the News

Smart cancer advice

Prevention Magazine—Dr. David Johnson, deputy director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discusses what he has learned from his own battle with cancer. Full Story »

Dining program praisedDining program praised

Food Management—Vanderbilt Dining Services is profiled in the cover story, titled "Why Dining at Vandy Is Dandy." Full Story »

Study evaluates prostate surgeries

The New York Times—Dr. Joseph Smith, chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery, is quoted about a study that examined success rates of prostate cancer patients who chose minimally invasive surgery rather than more extensive operations. Full Story »

Lincoln meets Darwin in musical experiment

The TennesseanDaniel Bernard Roumain, BMus'93, composer, violinist and professor-in-residence at the Blair School of Music, has made a career out of combining his potent classical abilities with everything from Haitian folk music to rock and jazz. Full Story »

 
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Sports News

Men's basketball seeks winning mix

The Tennessean—The Vanderbilt men's basketball team, which lost one reserve player and added one of the country's most coveted freshmen, believes it has a winning mix. Full Story »

Ogilvy battling injury woes

The Tennessean—Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy was battling a concussion and plantar fasciitis in his heel as practice began in earnest. Full Story »

norman

Kick returner looking to break out

Nashville City Paper—Warren Norman's approach to kickoff returns is anything but modest. "I always think I can break one," says the freshman running back. Norman recently became the first player in Vanderbilt history to return three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. Full Story »

Women's basketball season tickets on sale

Season tickets for Vanderbilt women's basketball start at just $32. Full Story »

 
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