National Security Agency, Vanderbilt sign partnership to advance innovation, education on issues of modern conflict and emerging threatsOn the heels of National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone’s keynote address to the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, the university has signed a five-year education partnership agreement with the NSA. “This partnership will bring together the sharpest and most innovative minds across military intelligence and higher education to address these urgent and complex issues,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “Drawing on our strong track record with military-academic collaborations, Vanderbilt provides the intellectual forum to explore these challenges from new and cross-disciplinary perspectives.”Vanderbilt was the first university to sign an education partnership agreement with Army Futures Command in 2019. The agreement paved the way for several teams of interdisciplinary researchers, soldiers, and industry partners to collaborate on projects to pioneer technologies that could benefit soldiers and civilians, further modernize the U.S. Army and improve the human condition. MORE
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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United States Agency for International Development—Report: "Predicting Support for Women's Autonomy in the Americas from LAPOP Lab"
Estelle Shaya, Vanderbilt undergraduate student and researcher in the LAPOP Lab, published a report: Predicting Support for Women’s Autonomy in the Americas. Her research suggests that support for women’s autonomy varies significantly across countries, with those who are more educated and wealthier being more supportive of women’s autonomy while those who are older—on average—hold more traditionally conservative views on women’s autonomy. Furthermore, the support for authoritarian leadership correlates with lower support for women’s autonomy. The belief that domestic violence is a family matter also correlates with lower support for women’s autonomy, as does the experience of marriage. This work is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). MORE
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Associate professor Larisa DeSantis to give prestigious scientific talk in IrelandLarisa DeSantis – associate professor of the biological sciences & Earth and environmental sciences departments – will be giving the Royal Irish Academy Discourse Lecture on Monday, July 18th at 2pm central time. The Royal Irish Academy is good company to keep – including famous evolutionist Charles Darwin. Recently, speakers at this event have included four Nobel laureates and a former president of Ireland. DeSantis recently helped found the new climate and environmental studies program at Vanderbilt University. Her talk will heavily lean on the themes of climate science and environmental studies throughout . . . . MORE
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Diermeier speaks at Aspen Ideas Festival, emphasizes importance of free expression at universitiesVanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier participated in a conversation titled “ The Path Forward for Academic Freedom in Higher Ed” as part of the world-renowned Aspen Ideas Festival on June 29. [T]he panel set out to explore the “twin ideals of open inquiry and free expression” as well as higher education’s unique role in advancing these forces. The conversation covered a range of topics, including strategies for creating open forums, the evolving dynamics of polarization on American campuses, the history of speaker controversies and censorship, and the implications that social media and misinformation may have on civil discourse. Diermeier also discussed the mission behind the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and the importance of studying the value of open and productive debate through a historic lens. MORE
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Vanderbilt Unity Index shows American political ‘unity’ stabilizedAmericans’ general faith and trust in democracy has stabilized in the first half of 2022, remaining relatively flat through the second quarter, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Index. The index, which seeks to quantify unity by measuring fluctuations in Americans’ general faith and trust in their political institutions on a scale of 0-100, ticked slightly upward to 57.32 as of June 30, 2022, from 57.12 at the close of the previous calendar quarter. [ John Geer, the Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and Mary Catherine Sullivan, a doctoral candidate in political science, both authors of the index, noted ]the stabilization of the index for the first two quarters of 2022 demonstrates the broader rebound of this measurement of American political unity from its lowest points coinciding with President Trump’s time in office . . . . MORE
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Grammy Award–winning vocalist Mark Kibble joins Vanderbilt Blair School of MusicLegendary a cappella singer and trailblazer Mark Kibble has joined the Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as an adjunct instructor of jazz voice. Kibble’s appointment begins this fall; he will direct the vocal jazz ensemble and teach jazz vocals. Kibble is a vocalist with Take 6, the most awarded a cappella group in U.S. history. Group members Claude McKnight, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Khristian Dentley and Alvin Chea, in addition to Mark Kibble, have won 8 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards and a Soul Train Award, among other accolades . . . . Teaching music to a new generation of creative professionals has always been a goal, Mark Kibble said. MORE
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Vanderbilt University qualifies as eligible employer for Public Sector Student Loan ForgivenessThe U.S. Department of Education recently announced a temporary period during which borrowers may receive credit for payments that previously did not qualify for Public Sector Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on direct loans after borrowers have made 120 qualifying payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a U.S. federal, state, local or tribal government or a not-for-profit (501(c)3) organization. As a 501(c)3 institution, Vanderbilt University is an eligible employer, allowing employees to qualify for PSLF. MORE
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