High school students from Tennessee got a taste of college research when they made solar cells using blackberry juice and measured the electrical power that the cells produced. Students from nine schools participated in daylong field trips to the Stevenson Center to get a hands-on introduction to nanotechnology and how it might lead to more efficient, less expensive devices for solar power. The solar cell project involved mashing and extracting juice from blackberries, soaking an electrode in the juice, and clipping it with another electrode covered with graphite to make a solar cell. The crude devices produce about enough to power a small electronic calculator, but they can give a person a nice shock, says Scott Niezgoda, a chemistry graduate student who works on the project. The educational outreach program was started this year by the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, directed by Sandra Rosenthal, Jack and Pamela Egan Professor of Chemistry.

Chancellor Zeppos, Tiffiny Tung and Nancy Gentry, BSN’73, education co-chair of the Alumni Association’s Nashville Chapter.

Tung, a bioarchaelogist, studies past cultures through the clues found in mummies, skeletal remains and other artifacts. In addition to her own research and teaching, she worked with 27 different students on independent research projects and theses both in Nashville and in far-off lands.

Established by the Nashville Chapter of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association in 1963, the chancellor-selected award is given annually to the faculty member most contributing to undergraduate student–faculty relationships outside the classroom.

Four outstanding professors in the College of Arts and Science have been awarded endowed chairs, one of the most prestigious honors a university can bestow. The professors were honored as some of the university’s most distinguished faculty and recognized for academic achievements and ongoing work. The new chair holders are John G. Geer, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science; Jon H. Kaas, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology; Peter Lake, Martha Rivers Ingram Professor; and David E. Lewis, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Political Science. Their recognition brings the number of endowed chairs established in the College of Arts and Science to 94. Vanderbilt has a major university initiative to increase the number of endowed chair holders in support of recruiting and retaining top faculty.

The Vanderbilt University Board of Trust honored seven College of Arts and Science faculty with emeriti status this spring. Those honored were Tracy Barrett, senior lecturer in Italian, emerita; Ford F. Ebner, professor of psychology, emeritus; Leonard Feldman, Stevenson Professor of Physics, emeritus; Robert Fox, professor of psychology, emeritus; Thomas A. Gregor, professor of anthropology, emeritus; Gary Jensen, professor of sociology, emeritus; and Wallace LeStourgeon, professor of biological sciences, emeritus.

Congratulations to these faculty members who have been promoted to new positions and received tenure.

• Patrick Abbot, associate professor of biological sciences
• Brian Bachmann, associate professor of chemistry
• Kenneth Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences
• Kate Daniels, professor of English
• James H. Dickerson, associate professor of physics
• Eva M. Harth, associate professor of chemistry
• Kevin Huang, professor of economics
• Jens Meiler, associate professor of chemistry
• Moses E. Ochonu, associate professor of history
• Bunmi Olatunji, associate professor of psychology
• Keivan Stassun, professor of astronomy
• Steven Tepper, associate professor of sociology
• Benigno Trigo, professor of Spanish
• Tiffiny Tung, associate professor of anthropology
• Martina Urban, associate professor of religious and Jewish studies
• Edward Wright-Rios, associate professor of history
• Christoph M. Zeller, associate professor of German

When Associate Professor Brandt Eichman and Assistant Professor Antonis Rokas were surprised with 2011 Chancellor’s Awards for Research in August, they became the eighth and ninth biological sciences professors to receive the honor since 2005. That marks an uninterrupted seven-year run for the department’s faculty.

Serbia in the 1990s serves as the lens through which Assistant Professor of Art Vesna Pavlovic (pictured) contrasts normalcy and war. Her photographs were installed in a recent show at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The exhibit also included recent images examining modern American life.

Abdiweli M. Ali, MA’88

Abdiweli M. Ali, MA’88, has been named the prime minister of Somalia, the first College of Arts and Science alumnus to serve as a head of state.

Ali was appointed the acting premier of Somalia’s transitional federal government in June after then-Prime Minister Mohamed A. Mohamed resigned. Soon after, Ali was named permanent prime minister and then overwhelmingly approved as prime minister by Somalia’s parliament.

A Somali native, Ali came to Nashville in 1986 for Vanderbilt’s esteemed Graduate Program in Economic Development. He spent two years in the College of Arts and Science, earning his master’s degree in economics before returning to Somalia to serve in that country’s ministry of finance and revenue.

Ali also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard and a doctorate in economics from George Mason University and was a fellow in Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Most recently, he taught economics at Niagara University in Lewiston, N.Y., before returning to Somalia in late 2010 as minister of planning and international cooperation.

“I owe a lot to Vanderbilt University and it helped me at a critical juncture in my life,” Ali wrote to his friends at GPED. “I am eternally grateful to all the faculty and staff members who kept me close and gave me a great opportunity to learn, grow and become the person I am today.”

In one of his first policy initiatives, Ali appointed a national committee to tackle the severe drought affecting large parts of the eastern African country; approximately 11.5 million Somalis are suffering from famine. Other challenges he faces include leading a country affected by civil war, militant terrorism, piracy, religious conflicts, lawlessness and political uncertainty.

From left, Dean Carolyn Dever congratulates William P. Caferro, Lynn Enterline, Jane G. Landers, William Luis, James G. Patton and Carl H. Johnson, who were celebrated at a ceremony in May.

Some of the chairs are newly endowed, while others are supported by gifts made previously. The gift of endowed chairs makes it possible for the university to recruit new and retain top faculty, as well as provide support for the professor’s work.

The new chairholders are:

• Larry M. Bartels, May Werthan Shayne Professor of Public Policy and Social Service
• William P. Caferro, Gertrude Conaway Professor of Vanderbilt History
• Kenneth Catania, Stevenson – Professor of Biological Sciences
• Lynn Enterline, Nancy Perot Mulford Professor of English
• Marilyn Friedman, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy
• Larry W. Isaac, Gertrude Comway Vanderbilt Professor of Sociology
• Carl H. Johnson, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences
• Michael P. Kreyling, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English
• Jane G. Landers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History
• William Luis, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Spanish
• Larry May, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy
• Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health and Society
• James G. Patton, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences
• Sandra J. Rosenthal, Jack and Pamela Egan Professor of Chemistry
• Mitchell A. Seligson, Centennial Professor of Political Science
• David C. Wood, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy

The recent Shape the Future campaign allowed the College of Arts and Science to more than triple the number of endowed chairs it had previously. Other endowed chairs are expected to be announced before the end of the school year.

Katie Ullmann has been named a 2011 Udall Scholar in recognition for her past commitment to environmental issues and her demonstrated commitment to a career in the environmental field. An American Studies major and Ingram Scholar, Ullmann has focused on social movements and their effect on environmental and climate protection policies. Now a junior, the Brookline, Mass., student was one of 80 undergraduates selected nationwide—and one of only 27 sophomores—from a group of 510 students nominated by 231 colleges and universities. The scholarship from the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation provides up to $5,000 for her junior or senior year.

Seniors Justin Menestrina and Tim Xu were selected as Goldwater Scholars from a field of nearly 1,100 math, science and engineering students nominated by colleges and universities across the country.

Menestrina is a physics student from Knoxville, Tenn., conducting honors research in preparation for his senior thesis. Xu, of Vienna, Va., is completing a double major—with honors—in neuroscience and European studies. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program provides each with a two-year scholarship worth $7,500 a year for educational expenses.

In addition, Greg Gauthier earned honorable mention in the Goldwater competition. The Wheaton, Ill., senior is working toward an honors degree in mathematics and economics while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

It’s not often that the governors of two states make a big deal about highway signs, which says something about the signs’ subject: alumnus Robert Penn Warren, BA’25. In late fall, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (left) and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (right, blue tie) unveiled signs that direct travelers to the Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Museum in Guthrie, Ky. Housed in Penn Warren’s childhood home, the museum offers a glimpse into Penn Warren’s young life and a chance to read his work. In marking the occasion, Bredesen called Penn Warren a man who revolutionized the literary world and left an indelible mark on both Kentucky and Tennessee. “Robert Penn Warren may be best known as America’s first official Poet Laureate and the only person to hold Pulitzer Prizes in both poetry and fiction—but he was at heart a teacher who recognized the importance of sharing his knowledge with future generations,” Bredesen said. Mona Frederick, executive director of Vanderbilt’s Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, was on hand for the unveiling near the Kentucky/Tennessee border.

The Scientist magazine named Vanderbilt one of the best places to work in academia for life scientists (those who study living organisms). The university leaped to the No. 12 spot on a list headed by Princeton University, ranking ahead of other institutions including Stanford, Emory and Yale universities. In 2009, Vanderbilt ranked No. 34 in the survey.

Spence Lee Wilson (left), Rebecca Webb Wilson and Tom Dillehay listen to remarks during Dillehay’s installation as Rebecca Webb Wilson University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Religion and Culture at Vanderbilt University.

Dillehay is the first holder of the chair, established by Spence Lee Wilson, BA’64 and his wife, Rebecca Webb Wilson, BA’65. Both are graduates of the College of Arts and Science and longtime supporters of Vanderbilt. The gift was made by Spence Wilson in honor of his wife, who has been a member of the university’s Board of Trust since 1989.

“We feel so privileged to have someone of such international acclaim as is Tom Dillehay to be the first recipient of this chair,” Rebecca Wilson says. “I majored in Spanish in high school and college, which predisposed me to an interest in Latin America, where I have traveled all my adult life. Tom’s reputation as a scholar is undeniably outstanding, but it is Tom Dillehay the creative, dedicated, generous person that we are particularly delighted to have occupy the chair. He sets a high benchmark.” 

Dillehay was previously Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. He has received international and national awards for his research and teaching and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dillehay has served as a consultant to several governments and academic institutions in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico. His work has been featured in numerous publications and broadcast programs, including National Geographic, Scientific American, Nova, Discover, BBC and NPR.

Watch video of Professor Tom D. Dillehay’s April 20 lecture titled “Ontology, Scale, and Time: Inferring the Origins of Andean Religion and its Practice.”

Pantelides

Sokrates T. Pantelides, William A. and Nancy F. McMinn Professor of Physics and professor of electrical engineering, has been named University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Engineering, an honor which reflects his stature in both the College of Arts and Science and the School of Engineering.

Yanqin Fan, professor of economics, has been named Centennial Chair in Economics. Steve Hollon, professor of psychology, is now Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in Social and Natural Sciences. Tong Li, professor of economics, is now Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in Social and Natural Sciences. Sohee Park, professor of psychology, is now Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in Social and Natural Sciences, and John Weymark, professor of economics, is Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in Social and Natural Sciences. The named professorships honor Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt, the university’s longtime benefactor who was married to Vanderbilt Board of Trust president Harold S. Vanderbilt.

At Vanderbilt, scholars of exceptional national and international stature may be honored with distinguished professorships. The title signifies that these professors are leaders in scholarship, distinction, discovery and teaching in their disciplines. The College of Arts and Science is pleased to announce that three professors were named to distinguished professorships in 2009-2010. Lynn E. Enterline is now Chancellor’s Professor of English, James A. Epstein became Distinguished Professor of History, and Tracy D. Sharpley-Whiting is Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and French.

Enterline

Epstein

Sharpley-Whiting

Schoenfield

Two academic departments started the 2010-2011 year with new leaders, while several others welcomed new faculty and celebrated promotions of other faculty. Mark Schoenfield, professor of English, is the new chair of the English department and John Geer, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, will chair political science.

Schoenfield, an expert in romanticism and literature and law, is the author of British Periodicals and Romantic Identity: The “Literary Lower Empire.” He has published in The Wordsworth Circle, Studies in Romanticism and various other journals.

Geer

Schoenfield succeeds Jay Clayton, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English, who served as chair of English since 2003.

Geer is a widely quoted media expert on elections, public opinion and political communication. He is the past editor of The Journal of Politics and author of In Defense of Negativity, a study of negative political advertising.

He follows Bruce Oppenheimer, who stepped in as interim chair after the death of Neal Tate in fall 2009.

Traditionally those who mark 25-year anniversaries at Vanderbilt receive a school chair as a token of appreciation. In the coming year, the following faculty will celebrate their silver anniversaries in the College of Arts and Science: Karen E. Campbell, associate professor of sociology; Vivien Green Fryd, professor of history of art; Jon W. Hallquist, associate professor of theatre; Terryl W. Hallquist, associate professor of theatre; Timothy P. Hanusa, professor of chemistry; Steven D. Hollon, professor of psychology; C. Bruce Hughes, professor of mathematics; Thomas W. Kephart, professor of physics; Michael Kreyling, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English; John G. Ratcliffe, professor of mathematics; and David G. Schlundt, associate professor of psychology.

Fryd

Hanusa

J. Hallquist

T. Hallquist

For the second year in a row, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized Arts and Science, the alumni magazine of the College of Arts and Science, in its annual District III competition. The magazine won an award of excellence in the alumni magazines division for schools of less than 5,000 students.

CASE is the professional organization that supports educational institutions by enhancing the effectiveness of the alumni relations, communications, marketing, fundraising and other advancement professionals who serve them. District III is the second largest district in CASE, with more than 4,000 members and representing educational institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

In 2009, Arts and Science was named CASE District III’s Grand Award winner in the category of magazine publishing improvement and earned a special merit award for its World Wide Web home page design and implementation.

Promoted to Professor

Katherine Crawford, history
William Franke, comparative literature and Italian
Jane Landers, history
Anna Roe, psychology
Mark Schoenfield, English
Virginia Scott, French
Robert Talisse, philosophy

Newly Named Associate Professors with Tenure

Brandt Eichman, biological sciences
Shane Hutson, physics
Richard Lloyd, sociology
Richard McGregor, religious studies
Nancy Reisman, English
Elizabeth Zechmeister, political science

New Tenured and Tenure-Track Appointments

Tyson H. Brown, assistant professor of sociology, on the tenure track
Robert Ford Campany, professor of Asian studies, with tenure
Celso Thomas Castilho, assistant professor of history, on the tenure track
C. André Christie-Mizell, associate professor of sociology, with tenure
Nicole K. Clay, assistant professor of biological sciences, on the tenure track
Jennifer Fay, associate professor of film studies, with tenure
Monique L. Lyle, assistant professor of political science, on the tenure track
Philip James McFarland, assistant professor of German, on the tenure track
Paul Benjamin Miller, assistant professor of French, on the tenure track
Evelyn J. Patterson, assistant professor of sociology, on the tenure track
Kamal Saggi, professor of economics, with tenure, and Director of the Graduate Program in Economic Development
R. Jay Turner, professor of sociology, with tenure
Alan E. Wiseman, associate professor of political science, with tenure

]]> http://www.vanderbilt.edu/magazines/arts-and-science/2010-11/faculty-promotions/feed/ 0 http://www.vanderbilt.edu/magazines/arts-and-science/2010-11/update-on-professors-tragic-death/ http://www.vanderbilt.edu/magazines/arts-and-science/2010-11/update-on-professors-tragic-death/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:50:27 +0000 kirkwoj http://www.vanderbilt.edu/magazines/arts-and-science/?p=2173 Three Nashville men have been found guilty in the deaths of anthropology professor Pierre Colas and his sister, Marie. The Colases were shot at Pierre’s home in East Nashville in a home invasion/robbery in August 2008. The assailants have been sentenced to life terms; additional suspects are in jail awaiting trial. The Department of Anthropology [...]]]>

Three Nashville men have been found guilty in the deaths of anthropology professor Pierre Colas and his sister, Marie. The Colases were shot at Pierre’s home in East Nashville in a home invasion/robbery in August 2008. The assailants have been sentenced to life terms; additional suspects are in jail awaiting trial.

The Department of Anthropology celebrated Colas’ life and work with a 2009 conference that examined the themes and perspectives central to Mayan culture, identity, language and history. At the time of his death, the 32-year-old Colas was an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Science as well as a prolific scholar known for his groundbreaking work in Mayan epigraphy.

Lorraine M. López, associate professor of English, was named a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction for her book, Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories. López’s story collection was chosen as one of five honorees from nearly 350 books nominated by their publishers.

“The PEN/Faulkner Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for fiction in America today,” says Jay Clayton, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English and chair of the English department. “Recent winners have included such wonderful writers as Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, Ha Jin, John Updike, and Nashville’s own Ann Patchett.”

López, the author of three additional works of fiction and winner of the International Latino Book Award, was nominated along with fellow writers Barbara Kingsolver, Lorrie Moore, Colson Whitehead and Sherman Alexie, who received the 2009 award. All five were honored during the 30th Annual PEN/Faulkner Award ceremony at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., in May.

Homicide Survivors Picnic is a collection of short stories with deeply complex characters at pivotal points in their lives. In each of the volume’s 10 stories, López has crafted characters who are survivors, people who face overwhelming disappointment yet persevere and even reach out to help others.

López joins a cadre of past PEN/Faulkner honorees that reads like the who’s who of great American literature, including David Guterson, Bernard Malamud, Alice McDermott, Joyce Carol Oates, E. Annie Proulx, Isaac Bashevis Singer and John Kennedy Toole.

The National Academy of Science has announced that Associate Professor of Psychology Frank Tong is one of the winners of this year’s Troland Research Award. Two $50,000 Troland awards are given annually to scientists under the age of 40 for groundbreaking contributions to psychology and/or neuroscience. The NAS singled Tong out for his pioneering use of neural decoding techniques to explore mechanisms in the human brain mediating perception, attention and object recognition. Tong is the third Department of Psychology member to be honored with a Troland award. The highly prestigious award has also been awarded to Isabel Gauthier, professor of psychology, and Jeffrey D. Schall, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Neuroscience.

Richard A. “Pete” Peterson, professor of sociology, emeritus, died this spring in Nashville. Peterson, 77, was one of the first professors to research country music from a sociological perspective and was also the founding chair of the American Sociological Association’s culture section. His impact on undergraduate and graduate students alike is still felt in the College of Arts and Science and in the field of sociology. Peterson’s recent work with Assistant Professor of Sociology Jennifer Lena (above) on “Classification as Culture: Types and Trajectories of Music Genres,” was featured in the fall 2009 issue of Arts and Science.

The Vanderbilt University Board of Trust honored three longstanding members of the Arts and Science faculty with emeritus status at Commencement in May.

David A. Lowe, associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures, was named professor of Slavic languages and literatures, emeritus. Lowe is an expert on 19th-century Russian literature with a strong interest in contemporary Russian culture and has been a member of the Vanderbilt academic community since 1979.

John Siegfried, professor of economics, is now professor of economics, emeritus. Siegfried joined the economics faculty in the College of Arts and Science in 1972 and also taught at Vanderbilt Law School and in the Executive MBA program of the Owen Graduate School of Management.

Jo Ann Staples, senior lecturer in mathematics, was named senior lecturer in mathematics, emerita. An expert in graph theory, Staples joined Vanderbilt in 1975. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she oversaw the teaching and training program for mathematics graduate students as director of teaching.

Beth Bachmann, assistant professor of English, is the 2010 winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award given to honor a poet’s first book. Bachmann’s Temper, published last year by the University of Pittsburgh Press, was called “an unforgettable first book” by poet Lynn Emanuel. “This is a great honor for Beth, and yet another sign of a very bright future for her,” says Carolyn Dever, dean of the College of Arts and Science. The Kate Tufts Discovery Award, given by Claremont Graduate University, is presented to a first book by a poet of genuine promise. It provides a cash award for its recipients to further their work in poetry.

Holley-Bockelmann

The National Science Foundation has awarded its most prestigious honor for young teacher-scholars, the Faculty Early Career Development Program award, to Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, assistant professor of astronomy, and Antonis Rokas, assistant professor of biological sciences. Known as CAREER awards, the grants fund outstanding young faculty in research and education outreach.

Rokas

Holley-Bockelmann will use her $1,075,873 five-year grant to further explore supermassive black holes, including developing and testing a comprehensive theory for their evolution. The grant will also assist her work in addressing the underrepresentation of women and minorities in astrophysics.

Rokas’ $688,129, five-year grant will support his research into yeast genomes and how they may expand understanding of the evolutionary relationships among living organisms. The project will also train high school teachers and students regarding phylogenetics (the study of evolutionary relationships) and include development of an undergraduate course.

C. Neal Tate, professor and chair of the Depart-ment of Political Science, died unexpectedly September 13, 2009, as he recovered from surgery. Tate was 65.

Tate, who also held an appointment at Vanderbilt Law School, was widely admired not only as a scholar but also for his administrative and interpersonal skills. Recruited to the College of Arts and Science from University of North Texas in 2003, Tate is credited with providing strong leadership in the rebuilding of the political science department. Under his direction, the department’s national reputation soared as it added esteemed faculty to its ranks.

Bruce Oppenheimer, professor of political science and acting department chair, calls Tate a first-rate person and friend who demonstrated great leadership. “Neal contributed a huge investment of his time and effort the past six years to guide our department,” he says, adding that the number of political science faculty increased by two-thirds under his watch.

As a political scholar, Tate specialized in comparative and American judicial politics. Other areas of academic interest were Third World politics and the military in politics. A distinguished editor and author, at the time of his death, Tate was working on a book project titled Political Repression, Human Rights and the Rule of Law: The Global Picture, 1976–2005.

In May, Tate was awarded the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor Award, given annually to a Vanderbilt faculty member for distinctive contributions to the understanding of problems of contemporary society.

Alexander Heard, who served as Vanderbilt’s fifth chancellor, and guided the university from 1963 to 1982, died July 24 after a long illness. The chancellor emeritus was 92.

Under Heard’s leadership, Vanderbilt grew and prospered, as did the College of Arts and Science.

“During his tenure, Arts and Science increased enrollment, added more honors’ work, gained its first endowed chairs and grew in national status,” says Carolyn Dever, dean of the College of Arts and Science. “He presided over the largest faculty development effort in our history. Equally important, he helped establish a culture of collegiality among faculty, students, alumni, staff and administration that exists to this day.”

Personable and intelligent, Heard was known for his accessibility and responsiveness to students, sometimes supporting them in controversial issues that put him at odds with his advisors or members of the Board of Trust.

A giant in his field, Heard was the recipient of 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities over the years. He also served as an advisor to three U.S. presidents.

Donations in his honor may be made to the Alexander Heard Memorial Fund at Vanderbilt.

Muhammad Yunus

Two College of Arts and Science alumni recently made international headlines when each received prestigious and notable awards.

In August, Muhammad Yunus, PhD’71, was awarded the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other signifi-cant public or private endeavors.

Yunus is a global leader in anti-poverty efforts who pioneered the use of micro-loans to provide credit to poor individuals. He founded the Grameen Bank in his native Bangladesh to grant small, low-interest loans to the poor. The successful model has spread throughout the world. In 2006, Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Elyn Saks

Elyn Saks, BA’77, is the recipient of a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Known for her scholarship in mental health law and advocacy, as well as for her personal battle with schizophrenia, Saks is a University of Southern California law professor and associate dean. She is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Her widely acclaimed memoir, The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness, disclosed her lifelong struggle with schizophrenia and acute psychosis.

A philosophy major in the College of Arts and Science, Saks was a Founder’s Medalist at Vanderbilt and a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University before earning a law degree from Yale.

The MacArthur Foundation annually awards the no-strings-attached fellowships, informally known as “genius grants,” to encourage recipients in their creativity, originality and potential.

Vanderbilt recently launched VUconnect, a new online community for all alumni and students. VUconnect replaces the previous online service, Dore2Dore, and provides new and enhanced features. Alumni can use VUconnect to provide news, find old friends and classmates, network, share career advice and leads, locate VU chapters and sign up for Vanderbilt events.

College of Arts and Science alumni are encouraged to go to www.vuconnect.com and follow the step-by-step instructions to register. Previously registered Dore2Dore users need to re-register with VUconnect (although biographical information from Dore2Dore will automatically transfer). Those with an @alumni.vanderbilt.edu e-mail address will continue to have e-mail forwarding service.

VUconnect is only open to Vanderbilt alumni and students, as part of Vanderbilt’s commitment to the privacy of its alumni.

For help or questions, e-mail vuconnect@vanderbilt.edu or call (615) 322-5578 weekdays 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Central time.

The start of the academic year saw a group of Arts and Science faculty honored with promotions and new titles. Receiving promotions from assistant professor were Laura Carpenter, associate professor of sociology; Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller, associate professor of French; Katherine Friedman, associate professor of biological sciences; Mark Hosford, associate professor of art; Christina Karageorgou-Bastea, associate professor of Spanish; and Lorraine López, associate professor of English.

Tony Earley, formerly Samuel Milton Fleming Associate Professor of English, became the Samuel Milton Fleming Professor of English.

Three faculty members were named to full professor. Isabel Gauthier, formerly associate professor of psychology, is now professor of psychology. Associate Provost for Global Strategy Joel Harrington, formerly associate professor of history, is now professor of history. Marc Hetherington was promoted from associate professor of political science to professor of political science.

In addition, three outstanding faculty were named to the position of University Professor in recognition of their accomplishments, contributions and scholarly distinctions.

Professor of Chemistry Lawrence Marnett is now University Professor, Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research, professor of biochemistry, professor of pharmacology and director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology. Lilianna Solnica-Krezel is University Professor, professor of biological sciences, Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Developmental Genetics and professor of cell and developmental biology. Former dean of the Vanderbilt Law School Edward L. Rubin has been named University Professor and professor of political science. This is in addition to his primary appointment to the law school as professor of law.

The College of Arts and Science has also welcomed new faculty from as far away as China and as near as Vanderbilt itself.

New Arts and Science Faculty - Fall 2009

• Phillip I. Ackerman-Lieberman
  Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, on tenure track
• Kirill I. Bolotin
  Assistant Professor of Physics, on tenure track
• Jérôme Brillaud
  Assistant Professor of French, on tenure track
• Joshua D. Clinton
  Associate Professor of Political Science, with tenure
• Larisa Grawe DeSantis
  Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, on tenure track
• Markus Eberl
  Assistant Professor of Anthropology, on tenure track
• Marilyn A. Friedman
  W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy
  Professor of Philosophy, with tenure
• Peter J. Hudson
  Assistant Professor of History, on tenure track
• Robin Margaret Jensen
  Luce Chancellor’s Professor of the History of Christian Worship and Art
  Professor of History of Art, with tenure (joint appointment with Vanderbilt Divinity School)
• Michael Johnson
  Assistant Professor of Classics, on tenure track
• Alexander “Ari” Joskowicz
  Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, on tenure track
  Assistant Professor of European Studies
• Trica D. Keaton
  Associate Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, with tenure
• Paul A. Kramer
  Associate Professor of History, with tenure
• Larry May
  W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy
  Professor of Philosophy, with tenure
  Professor of Law
• Terence E. McDonnell
  Assistant Professor of Sociology
• Elizabeth J. Moodey
  Assistant Professor of History of Art, on tenure track
• Emily C. Nacol
  Assistant Professor of Political Science, on tenure track
• Vesna Pavlovic
  Assistant Professor of Art, on tenure track
• Sean Polyn
  Assistant Professor of Psychology, on tenure track
• Edward L. Rubin
  University Professor
  Professor of Political Science, with tenure
  Professor of Law
• Mariano Sana
  Associate Professor of Sociology, with tenure
• Samira Sheikh
  Assistant Professor of History, on tenure track
• Zeynep Somer-Topcu
  Assistant Professor of Political Science, on tenure track
  Assistant Professor of European Studies
• Lijun Song
  Assistant Professor of Sociology, on tenure track
  Assistant Professor of Medicine, Health and Society
• Paul Henry Stob
  Instructor of Communication Studies, on tenure track
• Ioana Şuvaina
  Assistant Professor of Mathematics, on tenure track
• Amelia Winger-Bearskin
  Assistant Professor of Art, on tenure track
• Julian Wuerth
  Associate Professor of Philosophy, with tenure
• Yaqionq Xu
  Assistant Professor of Physics, on tenure track
  Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering

Poet Rick Hilles, assistant professor of English, received a 2008 Whiting Writers’  Award from the New York-based Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation. The prestigious awards are presented to “writers of exceptional talent and promise in early career.”

Hilles, author of the award-winning poetry collection Brother Salvage, teaches poetry as part of the English department’s master of fine arts program in creative writing. His poems have appeared in Harper’s, The Nation, New Republic, Poetry and Salmagundi.

“It means a great deal to me—more than I can adequately say—and I hope that this sense of gratitude and encouragement will stay with me for a long, long time,” Hilles says. 

“Rick’s poetry moves and inspires readers, and he does the same in the classroom,” says Jay Clayton, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English and chair of the department. “There hasn’t been a better time for creative writing at Vanderbilt since the days of the Fugitive poets.”

 Whiting Writers’ Awards candidates are proposed by a select group of anonymous nominators nationwide whose experience and vocations expose them to individuals of extraordinary talent. Winners are chosen by a different anonymous selection committee of recognized writers, literary scholars and editors appointed annually by the foundation. The Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation has awarded more than $6 million to 240 writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama since its inception in 1963.

(Excerpted from “Flashlight Stories” in Brother Savage by Rick Hilles, ©2006. Reprinted by permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press.)

We’re the best—but don’t take our word for it. In the past few months, Vanderbilt has received a variety of honors. Earlier this year, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance judged Vanderbilt as the No. 15 best value among universities that combine outstanding economic value with exceptional education. It’s also a pretty good place to work. In January, Vanderbilt became the first university ever to be named to Fortune magazine’s list of the top 100 best places to work in the United States. That followed an earlier announcement that it was also ranked in the top 10 best places to work in academia in the United States, according to The Scientist magazine. And did we mention that our football team won the Music City Bowl?

The College of Arts and Science expresses its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the Rev. Frederick Schneider, professor of history, emeritus. Schneider, a beloved member of the faculty from 1955 through his retirement in 1986, died in December at the age of 87.

Hancock

Two long-time Arts and Science faculty, M. Donald Hancock, professor of political science, and William P. Smith, professor of psychology, received emeritus status during the May 2009 Commencement ceremonies. 

Hancock, who joined Vanderbilt in 1979, specializes in the politics of Western Europe and comparative European politics. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his master’s degree and doctorate from Columbia University. He served as director of the Center for European Studies at Vanderbilt (now the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies) from 1981–2000. Hancock’s most recent book, Politics in Germany, was published in 2008.

Smith

Smith joined the College of Arts and Science in 1965 after teaching at Columbia University and San Diego State College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University, a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was later a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Smith, who also served as associate dean and later, acting dean of the graduate school, is a widely respected scholar in social conflict, decision making, negotiation and social comparison.

Fans of CBS’s reality TV show Survivor: Tocantins may have recognized a familiar face among the castaways marooned in the rugged Brazilian Highlands. Arts and Science alumnus Brendan Synnott, BA’00, was one of the show’s contestants trying to outwit, outplay and outlast the others. Arts and Science magazine profiled Synnott, co-founder and former CEO of the popular natural food brand Bear Naked Granola, in its spring ’08 issue.

In a historic move that strengthens its dedication to accessibility and affordability, Vanderbilt announced last month that it will eliminate need-based loans from financial aid packages offered to eligible undergraduates. Starting in fall 2009, the amount of need-based loans normally included in undergraduate financial aid awards for new and returning students will be replaced with Vanderbilt grants and scholarships. In addition, seniors slated to graduate in May 2009 will have their need-based loans for the spring 2009 semester replaced with grant and scholarship assistance.

“This underscores Vanderbilt’s commitment to the belief that ability, achievement and hard work—not a family’s financial status—should determine access to a great education,” said Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos of the historic move. “When financial barriers to a Vanderbilt education are reduced or eliminated, Vanderbilt becomes a more dynamic environment for everyone. Every student benefits from the enriched community composed of highly talented and qualified students of all economic, cultural and geographic backgrounds.”

Provost Richard McCarty noted that Vanderbilt will continue to be one of only a few U.S. universities that employs a “need-blind” admissions approach and additionally guarantees to meet each student’s demonstrated financial need. “We will continue to make admission decisions based on such factors as character, academic strength and leadership skills, but not on a family’s income level or ability to pay,” McCarty said.

No Income Cap for Families

Unlike some other leading universities which have either reduced or eliminated need-based loans solely for low- and/or middle-income families, Vanderbilt will eliminate them for all students who qualify for need-based financial assistance, based on a holistic review of individual family circumstances. In determining a student’s demonstrated financial need, Vanderbilt takes into account each student’s individual family circumstances and all educational costs such as tuition, fees, housing, meals, books and course materials, plus allowances for personal and travel expenses. 

The fall 2009 program will apply to all need-based loans for new and returning undergraduate students. 

Debt Reduction A Priority 

The university started an initiative to reduce students’ education-related debt approximately seven years ago. That initiative has already resulted in the reduction of average overall indebtedness of graduating seniors by 17 percent. The additional funds needed to fully replace need-based loans will come from institutional reallocations and from earnings on an additional $100 million to be raised in new scholarship endowment over the next several years. A top priority of Vanderbilt’s ongoing Shape the Future campaign has been, and will continue to be, increased scholarship support. Vanderbilt will specifically seek philanthropic gifts from alumni and friends for this initiative. 

In addition to encouraging students to consider Vanderbilt who might not have otherwise, the initiative will also allow students to pursue further education or career options that they might not have considered if they had need-based student loan debt. 

Reaction on campus and in the College of Arts and Science was swift and positive. “Put simply, our investment in a no-loan policy is both good business and right business,” said Carolyn Dever, interim dean of the College of Arts and Science. “Good business because it will enable us to attract the best students regardless of their means. Right business because the College of Arts and Science benefits from the socioeconomic diversity of its student body. The impact goes even further: our society benefits from the freedom of young Vanderbilt alumni to choose any career path without the burden of student-loan debt. We’re excited about what this means for our students and the entire expanded Vanderbilt community.”

For more information, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/expandedaidprogram.

If the campuses in Billy: The Early Years or Hannah Montana: The Movie look familiar, it’s because both theatrical-release films shot scenes on the Vanderbilt campus. In the feature about evangelist Billy Graham, the campus stood in for Northwestern Bible College, Wheaton College and even Princeton. Vanderbilt staff and locals in 1940s period dress were also part of the scenes. Filming for Hannah Montana: The Movie occurred outdoors near Kirkland and Buttrick Halls and indoors at Sarratt Cinema and Furman Hall. Production trucks and equipment lined the perimeter of the campus along West End Avenue one quiet day in May. Again, some faculty and staff served as extras in the film. While on campus, the movie’s director, Peter Chesolm, and other crew members visited the Maymester course, America on Film: Performance and Culture. The film opens spring 2009.

Packed with interesting people exploring interesting ideas, the Vanderbilt campus has long been a creative place. Thanks to the vision and support of recording industry executive Mike Curb, that creativity now has a center. The university recently announced the establishment of The Mike Curb Creative Campus Program, administered by the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt. The program will include new courses, faculty, internships, guest speakers, and the first national research program on creativity, the arts and higher education. 

Starting in fall 2009 with the naming of a select group of students as Undergraduate Curb Leadership Scholars, the program will feature special courses taught by Vanderbilt faculty and visiting scholars, including new faculty recruited specifically for the Curb program. A master’s degree in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership will be launched in 2011, as will a series of month-long summer internships. The internships will offer graduate and undergraduate students unique opportunities to test leadership skills through real-life work experiences with government agencies and the recording, film, and broadcasting industries.  

The program will prepare students to work with globalized markets, engage emerging technologies and navigate increasingly complex intellectual property rules.

The College of Arts and Science and the entire Vanderbilt community mourn the loss of anthropology professor Pierre Colas, 32, and his sister, Marie Colas, 27. The pair was shot during an apparent robbery at Pierre Colas’ home in East Nashville on August 26, 2008.

Pierre Robert Colas joined the College of Arts and Science in 2006. Friendly, generous, and with an infectious sense of humor, the assistant professor taught courses in Mayan language, Mayan culture and comparative writing systems. He was popular with students and colleagues alike, and made his office a place for faculty to gather informally in the afternoon to talk over espresso and M&Ms.

“Professor Colas was an accomplished teacher and mentor to his students, and an emerging researcher in the culture and language of the Mayan people,” said Interim Dean Carolyn Dever. “In his time at Vanderbilt, Pierre won the respect and deep affection of his colleagues in both anthropology and Latin American studies. He and his sister, Marie, will be missed by this community and so many others around the world.” 

As an anthropologist, Colas produced groundbreaking work on Maya epigraphy—he was one of a handful of people in the world who could read Mayan hieroglyphs—and focused his ethnographic studies on the Yucatec Maya of Belize. A native of Germany, Colas earned his Ph.D. at the University of Bonn. While a student, he received two grants of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, a prestigious award that has been compared to the Fulbright Scholarship. A prolific scholar who spoke
six languages, Colas published three books on the Maya and numerous articles. At the time of his death, he was working on two more books and a monograph based on his field work. 

Also a scholar, Marie Colas was visiting her brother during a break from her postgraduate studies at the University of Zürich. 

The Colases are survived by their father and a brother. A university-wide memorial service was held October 29 in All Faith Chapel.

Of all the universities in America, Vanderbilt University is ranked No. 18 according to U.S. News & World Report. That rank is up one position from last year.  

Among national universities in the Great Schools, Great Prices category, Vanderbilt was ranked No. 14, marking it as a good value for its tuition costs. The magazine noted that 12 percent of Vanderbilt students receive Pell Grants for low-income students, ranking it in the Top 25. 

Vanderbilt’s No. 18 rank in U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 Best Colleges edition is a three-way tie with Emory University and the University of Notre Dame.

“We’re pleased to be recognized once again by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best universities in the country,” said Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. “We’re diligent about improving the student experience at Vanderbilt, and this is one reflection that tells us we are succeeding.”

U.S. News & World Report issues rankings annually. Harvard University was named the top national university. The Top 5 was rounded out by Princeton University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

In the overall rankings, Vanderbilt has progressed from No. 24 in 1989 to consistently cracking the Top 20 since 2003. Vanderbilt waas also ranked No.18 in the years 2006, 2005, 2004 and 1994.

Carol M. Swain, professor of political science and law, was appointed to the National Council on the Humanities by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The council is the advisory board for the National Endowment for the Humanities, which makes grants supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. In addition to teaching, Swain also directs the non-profit Veritas Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. She will serve on the council for a six-year term. 

Photo by Steve Green.

On March 1, Nicholas S. Zeppos became the first chancellor in more than 70 years to be selected from within the ranks of the university. Formerly interim chancellor, as well as provost, vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of law, Zeppos was unanimously elected by the Board of Trust to serve as the eighth chancellor of Vanderbilt.

Then-Vanderbilt Student Government President Cara Bilotta, a dual major in Spanish and medicine, health and society, pointed out that Zeppos “has been working to make Vanderbilt a better place since the day that we (students) were born.” 

Zeppos joined Vanderbilt in 1987 as an associate professor of law and also served in a variety of administrative posts. Since 2002, he has overseen the university’s undergraduate, graduate and professional education programs as well as research in liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, education, business, law and divinity. As provost and vice chancellor, he chaired Vanderbilt’s budgeting and capital planning council, led all fundraising and alumni relations efforts across the institution, and oversaw the dean of students and dean of admissions. 

Zeppos has led a number of initiatives at Vanderbilt, including the planning process for The Commons; the Strategic Academic Planning Group; innovative efforts in undergraduate admissions and financial aid; and the development of new programs in Jewish studies, law and economics, and genetics, among others. 

Photo by Daniel Dubois.

Isabel Gauthier, associate professor of psychology, has been named a 2008 Troland Research Award winner by the National Academy of Sciences. The prestigious Troland Research Award is given annually to young researchers (age 40 and under) to recognize unusual achievement and to further the recipient’s research within the broad spectrum of experimental psychology. Only two awards are given annually and each includes a $50,000 prize. 

Gauthier’s research focuses on how we perceive and recognize objects in our environment, how we develop expertise in perceiving certain images, and what changes occur in the brain as this expertise develops. 

Gauthier is founder of the Perceptual Expertise Network at Vanderbilt and co-principal investigator of the National Science Foundation’s Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. She is a member of the Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, the Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development and the Learning Sciences Institute. 

Photo by Steve Green.

During 2007 and 2008 commencement ceremonies, 12 retiring faculty members of the College of Arts and Science received the title of emeritus or emerita faculty. Together the professors represented more than 300 years of teaching excellence. 

Those named emeritus or emerita in 2008 were Matthew Gould, professor of mathematics; Michael D. Plummer, professor of mathematics; and Patricia Ward, professor of French and comparative literature.

Those honored in 2007 were Royal G. Albridge, MS’80, professor of physics; Jeffery J. Franks, professor of psychology; John Halperin, Centennial Professor of English; David M. Hercules, Centennial Professor of Chemistry; Peter T. Loosen, M.D., professor of psychiatry; James Loren Nash, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry; F. Carter Philips, BA’65, professor of classics; Henry A. Teloh, professor of philosophy; and Susan Ford Wiltshire, professor of classics.

A chance meeting between a Vanderbilt professor and the grandson of one of Ecuador’s most acclaimed artists led to Vanderbilt’s role in the first U.S. exhibition of that artist’s works in more than 50 years. Of Rage and Redemption: The Art of Oswaldo Guayasamín premiered in February at Vanderbilt’s Fine Arts Gallery and the Sarratt Gallery before continuing on a nationwide tour. 

Carlos Jáuregui, associate professor of Spanish literature and anthropology, met Pablo Guayasamín Madriñán at a reception in 2006. The idea for the exhibit soon developed. Organized by the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies at Vanderbilt University and the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, the exhibit covers Oswaldo Guayasamín’s (1919–1999) full body of work, most of which has never been seen in the U.S.
 

The show was underwritten by Susan Braselton Fant, JD’88, and Lester “Ruff” Fant, BA’63. It was developed in cooperation with the Fundación Guayasamín, Quito, Ecuador, the largest depository of the artist’s work in the Americas. Following its Vanderbilt premiere, the exhibit opened at the Art Museum of the Americas, Organization of American States, in cooperation with Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. The exhibit will then travel to Museo Alameda, San Antonio, Texas; University Galleries, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida; and Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It will end its scheduled tour at the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, California, in August 2009.

Photo by Steve Green.

Delbert Mann, BA’41, died in Los Angeles November 13, 2007, at the age of 87. One of the top directors during Hollywood’s golden age of television, Mann received an Academy Award as best director for the movie Marty in 1955. He had previously directed the acclaimed live television production of the same name. 

A political science major, Mann was elected president of the student council and served as co-managing editor of The Vanderbilt Hustler with his future wife, Ann Caroline Gillespie, BA’41. 

In later years, Mann served on the Vanderbilt Board of Trust. He also established and raised money for the Fred Coe Artist-in-Residence-in-Theatre program at Vanderbilt. He donated his papers to the Jean and Alexander Heard Library, and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999.

Mann worked with a who’s who of stars during his long career, including Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and George C. Scott. The 1955 production of Marty earned four Academy Awards, including best actor (Ernest Borgnine), writing (Paddy Chayefsky)
and best picture. 

In tribute to Mann, his family asked that memorial donations be sent to the Fred Coe Visiting Professorship at Vanderbilt. 

Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Special Collections.

Vanderbilt’s English department is ranked as the No. 1 small, prestigious Ph.D. program in the nation by the Guide to Graduate Programs (www.graduate-school.phds.org), sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Kaplan/Newsweek, publisher of the How to Get into College guide, selected Vanderbilt University as one of the “New Ivies” for the 2007 edition of the guide.

Vanderbilt professors rank seventh in scholarly production among faculties at research universities in the United States, according to the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index released by Pennsylvania-based Academic Analytics. Using data from 2005, the index individually ranked Vanderbilt’s doctoral program in Portuguese and Spanish as No. 1.

According to Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicators database, the mathematics department now ranks in the top 1 percent of all universities in terms of total citations in the field of mathematics. Currently, Vanderbilt mathematicians have published 368 highly cited papers, which have been cited by other researchers a total of 1,334 times to date.

Photo by Mason Hensley.