Rodes Hart and Orrin Ingram believe in Vanderbilt. As alumni, trustees, philanthropists and visionaries, they reflect on the opportunities—and challenges—of eliminating need-based loans and increasing scholarship endowment.

At Eakin Elementary School, a Nashville public school a stone’s throw from Vanderbilt University, Principal Roxie Ross is putting Positive Behavior Support to work. Since Positive Behavior Support was introduced at the school a few years ago, Ross has seen the school’s atmosphere become more positive and more focused on encouraging students.

Sharon Shields, professor of human and organizational development and faculty head of Murray House, reflects on the meaning of community, the importance of text messaging and why she loves living with college students

Peabody researchers tackle real-world problems through collaboration.Affordable housing. Sexually transmitted disease. School violence and bullying. It sounds like a laundry list of some of the toughest problems communities encounter today, issues made even more challenging by an economy in turmoil. All are under assault by Peabody faculty actively engaged in research with direct applications to real-world problems.

In a historic move that strengthens its dedication to accessibility and affordability, Vanderbilt announced last fall that it will eliminate need-based loans from financial aid packages offered to eligible undergraduates. Starting this fall, 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.

The spirit of Peabody is redefining Vanderbilt’s study abroad experience—with help from HOD students and faculty who want more than a tourist’s itinerary.

The credit crisis and a faltering economy. Rapidly rising energy costs. War. These pressing issues dominate voters’ concerns in advance of the November 4 presidential election. With so many raging fires to fight, the nation seems to have less attention to devote to education policy. That does not mean voters do not care about education. In polls that ask them to assess the importance of various issues in their votes for president—as opposed to those more frequent polls that ask respondents to identify only one issue of top concern—education continues to receive high rankings.

One of the things Peabody graduate Amy Cate, BS’03, likes best about teaching is the unpredictability. “It’s different every day,” she says. “You go in with a plan, but you never know what’s going to happen.” As a Spanish teacher at J.T. Moore Middle School, a public school in Nashville, Cate often tells her students, “Así es la vida”—“such is life”—presumably in order to help them deal with perennial travails such as homework or quizzes.