March 14, 2008

Contact: Jennifer Johnston (615) 322-2706, Jennifer.johnston@vanderbilt.edu


Senate confirms Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain’s appointment to NEH Council on the Humanities



NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The U.S. Senate early this morning confirmed the nomination of Carol M. Swain, Vanderbilt professor of political science and law, to the National Council on the Humanities. The appointment is for a six-year term.

The 26-member council is the advisory board of the National Endowment for the Humanities. NEH is an independent, grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.



Swain, whose area of academic interest centers on race relations and representation, immigration and black leadership, was appointed in 2007 to the Tennessee Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.



A political independent, Swain directs the Veritas Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. She recently edited and contributed to a book of essays, Debating Immigration, published by Cambridge University Press.



The Vanderbilt Law School will host a symposium March 20-21 centered on the themes of Debating Immigration. During the symposium, a distinguished group of scholars, journalists and activists will grapple with some of the thorniest issues of immigration. More information about the symposium is available on the Vanderbilt News Service homepage at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.