Hours Of Hope: Case Studies In American Progress

Stacy Clifford Simplican, Senior Lecturer, Department of Gender & Sexuality Studies  Last week, the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy launched the Vanderbilt Unity Lab. They are now accepting applications from students, faculty and staff to fill 25 program training positions.   I applied immediately. Read More

By Dr. Alex Jahangir  The following excerpt was adapted from Hot Spot: A Doctor’s Diary from the Pandemic, a memoir of the first year of COVID in Nashville by Dr. Alex Jahangir, head of the Metro Nashville COVID-19 Task Force. Published by Vanderbilt University Press… Read More

Alan Wiseman on Effective Lawmaking There are 535 members of Congress who attempt to pass legislation on behalf of their constituents. However, not all members have the same chance at passing laws, with much of the true power held in the hands of the few. Until the 1990s, House committee… Read More

From Jon Meacham “January 6th is an inflection point. It’s either a step on the way to the abyss, or it is a call for citizens to engage and say that the work we are about [to form a more perfect union] is more important than the will or whim of… Read More

From Bill Frist “Probably one of the most important things I did was the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which injected prescription drugs into Medicare for the first time. It was amazing to me, but being the only doctor in the Senate, I knew that prescription drugs were important to… Read More

Students in the political science course, Unity and American Democracy, are no strangers to high-profile guest speakers. Throughout the semester, they have been hearing from renowned experts and leaders. But when they entered the classroom on Tuesday, November 30, they found one of Vanderbilt’s own at the lectern: Chancellor… Read More

  Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist shared examples from his time in political office and gave advice on what could help current lawmakers work toward compromise in a recent panel discussion on effective lawmaking. The virtual discussion, “The Keys to Effective Lawmaking in Turbulent Times,” was… Read More