The 2009-10 academic year is well under way and with it all the activity in teaching, research and service that characterize Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. Despite the economic uncertainty of the last year, Peabody continues to thrive.

As a world-class college of education and human development, Vanderbilt’s Peabody College has many facets. In classroom teaching, for example, we seek to prepare tomorrow’s leaders. In other settings, we strive to help those who are already hard at work develop their professional knowledge and skills.

In reviewing the articles in this issue of The Reflector, I am struck by the theme of service, both at the macro and micro levels. Our primary feature is on the presidential election (macro), while several portraits of students and recent alumni shed light on engagement at local levels, though thousands of miles away.