Academic Affairs Highlights from the Fall 2020 Semester 

Dear colleagues,

Despite the incredible challenges the semester has brought, we must not forget to reflect on and celebrate our achievements and the progress we continue to make as we face these times together.

A small sampling of some of the fall 2020 semester accomplishments across Academic Affairs are bulleted below. We should be proud and heartened by our continued momentum in learning and discovery and by our amazing broad-based collaborative efforts in times like these.

With gratitude to the entire Vanderbilt community, we came together and anchored down and stepped up, all to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, postdocs and staff as much as possible. It’s an incredible accomplishment that we navigated the fall semester with no evidence of COVID transmissions within our classrooms and research spaces.

Our faculty were honored with many prestigious fellowships and appointments, and we moved forward on our commitments to a more diverse Vanderbilt and inclusive society. Vanderbilt research teams also made major contributions towards combating COVID-19.

We proudly opened our fourth residential college, reopened two historic buildings for Peabody College with transformative renovations and additions, and, thanks to a multi-million-dollar commitment from a prominent group of alumni and Owen School supporters, we are that much closer to the $20 million fundraising goal that will go toward the renovation and expansion of Management Hall.

Our collaborative spirit and One Vanderbilt approach has kept us on an upward trajectory, advancing our key pillars of research, scholarship and creative expression, a key testament to our resiliency.

In no particular order, there is much to applaud from the following list, and the countless other efforts for which there is not room here to account.

• The university successfully navigated the fall semester with no evidence of COVID transmissions in classrooms or research spaces through the communal embrace of a suite of safety protocols and robust testing and contact tracing, and in parallel, we made major research contributions towards the virus.
• We secured a number of prominent partnerships and funding opportunities for research and scholarship, including a partnership with ACADIA Pharmaceuticals to develop novel treatments for central nervous system disorders and an $8.7 million DARPA grant to advance AI-assisted CPS design work.
• Nicholas S. Zeppos College opened, and new residential faculty welcomed back to campus students enrolled in in-person instruction.
• Faculty and staff worked together to offer all our students in-person, hybrid and remote curricular opportunities, allowing continued progress toward degrees and learning.
• Two historic Peabody College buildings reopened with transformative renovations and additions: Mayborne and 6 Magnolia Circle.
• We welcomed a new dean of the Blair School of Music and appointed a new vice provost for graduate education and dean of Vanderbilt’s Graduate School.
• The School of Nursing received a national HEED award for diversity.
• The university committed to a more inclusive Vanderbilt, hosted the inaugural conference on race justice featuring internationally known scholars, and launched a series on justice and healing with renowned artists and scholars.
• Three faculty members were elected to the National Academy of Medicine and one to the National Academy of Inventors.
• Owen School supporters committed more than $13 million toward Management Hall renovation and expansion.

For a fuller list of accomplishments, click here for highlights from myVU stories. I know there were many other important achievements not captured here, and I am grateful for all of the hard work and dedication that every accomplishment represents.

As the fall 2020 semester has drawn to a close, I am optimistic about what the future will bring. I know the new year will present its own set of challenges, but each of you brings me hope. We are in this together, and I know we will persevere and discover new ways to advance our mission and help Vanderbilt reach new heights in 2021.

Wishing all of you a safe and peaceful winter break.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

COVID-RELATED QUICK LINKS 

Faculty Return to Campus

Staff Return to Campus

Research Ramp-up 

Faculty Adaptive Teaching Resources

Case Dashboard

Occupational Health 

Public Health Command Center