The rhythm of columns, archways and architectural curves is apparent from above, as seen in the colonnade between the Wyatt Center (Social Religious Building) and East Hall. The photographer did not climb a gingko tree to get the shot; he made use of a construction lift before it was moved.

If one travels north on 20th Avenue South in Nashville, the dome on the Wyatt Center—known to many alumni as the Social-Religious Building—comes into view. The building sits on the crest of a hill, so it should not be a surprise as it suddenly pops up amid the trees in this residential neighborhood. But this is a different view, and the perspective startles the viewer out of a GPS-induced complacency.

It is the ability to see issues and trends in education from new perspectives that has always differentiated Peabody from other schools of education. Even prior to rankings, Peabody was well-known for its faculty and researchers who could think “outside the box” and for training the next generation of educators by taking them out of the confines of a Peabody classroom and into the real world.

So, divested of its columns, steps and arched doors, seeing the dome outside of campus serves as a gentle reminder that a different perspective is a good thing.

On May 1 and 2, Nashville received almost 14 inches of rain. The flooding that came with this historic precipitation was widespread and will affect Nashville for years to come. More than 3,000 houses were submerged, and at least 10 people in the Nashville area drowned, either in their homes or cars. The Vanderbilt Clinic suffered some flooding damage, and on the Peabody campus, the Mayborn Building and North Hall were affected.

Nashvillians by the thousands volunteered to help pull out damaged drywall, flooring and insulation and haul flood-soaked belongings to the curb for disposal. Vanderbilt students helped in this effort as well. Pictured are A&S students Chris Rockwell and Cristina Fioramonti, and Peabody students Emily Baldwin and Kelsey Blum, who were but four of the many who volunteered to help the community with flood clean-up.

George Etta Brinkley Cohen climbed these marble stairs to her apartment on the second floor of Cohen Memorial for three years, from the time the building was finished in 1927 until her death in 1930. It is said that her spirit inhabits the structure.

The building first housed the Peabody fine arts department and following that, Vanderbilt art studio classes until the new Bronson Ingram Studio Arts building opened. The construction of an addition and the building’s first renovation in 50 years have enabled the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery, the Department of the History of Art and the Department of Classical Studies to take residence . . . in addition to Mrs. Cohen’s ghost.

Spring weather in Nashville changes in an instant. As cold fronts from the northwest brush up against warm fronts from the Gulf, the clouds billow and sometimes illustrate the violence of the clash. But on this spring day, no violent weather was in the forecast. Perhaps the clouds were mimicking the whirl of mental activity taking place within the mind of the single student crossing the mall.

About 1,550 first-year students at Vanderbilt are now housed in The Commons in “houses” with names familiar to Peabody alums: North, West, East, Gillette and Memorial. In addition there are the newly constructed Murray, Stambaugh, Sutherland, Crawford and Hank Ingram Houses, built where the Married Student and Garrison apartments once stood. Here, The Commons Center, which stands where the Hill Student Center used to be, reflects the residence of the dean of The Commons, Frank Wcislo, right in the center of things.