PRIVACY NOTICES
OVERVIEW
Vanderbilt University respects and protects the privacy of personal data for alumni, parents, donors, and affiliates. This notice explains how Vanderbilt, through the offices of Development and Alumni Relations, may collect and use your personal data for engagement and development activities.
Personal data is information that identifies you, and which Vanderbilt University holds in its Customer Relationship Management system and data repository to support the ongoing relationship between you and Vanderbilt. This data may include information collected at graduation, events, individual engagements, and from publicly available sources, as further detailed below.
WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED
Personal information that we may maintain includes: biographical and contact information; educational information such as academic degree(s) and major(s) (including information from other institutions if known); professional information; connections to Vanderbilt; relationships between people (e.g., parent-child); philanthropic information such as donations, pledges, and engagement history; event attendance; contact and other preferences; interests; information related to communications/responses an individual may have with the university; and publicly available wealth indicators.
HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED
Vanderbilt receives your data through your student educational and athletics records, surveys, personal and email interactions, and transactions such as donations and event registration. The university also receives your personal data through targeted use of publicly available information (e.g, LinkedIn).
HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION IS USED
We may use your information to correspond with you, verify an account, provide a personalized online experience, or process a gift. Additionally, we may use it to shape engagement, build mutually beneficial relationships, and understand the broader Vanderbilt community.
HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION IS SHARED
Personal information is held securely and confidentially by Vanderbilt and shared with university employees, campaign volunteers, and trustees on a need-to-know basis. Some data is provided securely, confidentially, and with non-disclosure agreements to pre-screened third parties and/or volunteers solely for Vanderbilt purposes (ex: fundraising, mailings, and communication materials). In these instances, only the necessary data needed to complete the project will be provided to the third party. Vanderbilt does not sell or provide personally identifiable information to third parties for non-Vanderbilt uses. Vanderbilt may have to share personal information if required by applicable law or by judicial or administrative process.
HOW LONG PERSONAL INFORMATION IS KEPT
We view being a member of the university and alumni community as a lifelong relationship. In general, Vanderbilt may retain university alumni, donor, and affiliate personal information in perpetuity or until the individual asks us to remove it from our records. Please note that the university is required to retain information related to your attendance in perpetuity.
If you decide that you no longer wish to receive communications from Vanderbilt University, please understand that we still need to retain certain personal information for our records (e.g., to show that you don't want us to contact you or for audit and compliance purposes).
For additional information about Vanderbilt's record retention practices, please see the university’s privacy policy.
YOUR RIGHTS IN RELATION TO THIS INFORMATION
Any Vanderbilt alum or supporter can request not to be contacted by Vanderbilt at any time.
If you do not want to receive communications from us, we will comply. You can request to have your contact information amended by contacting alumni@vanderbilt.edu.