Vanderbilt's EDGE Office is charged with providing leadership in the identification, recruitment, and retention of talented Ph.D. students from underrepresented groups. 

Specifically, this means African-American, Hispanic, and Native American students across all fields, women in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields and some students whose background is classified as being both first-generation and low-income.  While most of the work is still done at the college and department level, our job is to coordinate, supplement, and expand what faculty are already contributing to Vanderbilt's goal of recruiting and retaining talented young scholars from underrepresented groups.

All of these efforts are based in the University's sincere desire to provide underrepresented students with access to the tools necessary to reach their professional goals while creating a diverse learning community for all of our students.  We believe that the next generation of scholars and leaders must reflect the gender and racial composition of the country.  To that end, we aggressively recruit, admit, and support underrepresented students both for the benefits our University can give them and for the benefits, both intellectual and social, that they bring to our campus.

Our office is directed by Assistant Dean Don Brunson who is supported by an advisory council composed of faculty members from around campus.  We encourage current and prospective students to contact our office to find out how we can support them as they prepare for, begin, or continue their graduate training at Vanderbilt.