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.
 

Reunion en el Pentagono I–V (Meeting at the Pentagon I–V), 1970 copyright The Fundación Guayasamín, Quito, Ecuador.

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 with George C. Scott during the making of the movie *The Last Days of Patton.*

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.