Members of the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities are invited to take part in the university’s Sesquicentennial kickoff celebration March 24–25 through events both virtual and in person on campus. The Sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary of Vanderbilt’s founding in 1873, will provide many opportunities for the community to gather, reflect and advance the university’s “dare to grow” motto—whether through learning about its history, inspiring philanthropy or finding new ways to radically collaborate and expand Vanderbilt’s global impact over the next 150 years. Events launching the yearlong celebration will include a kickoff ceremony featuring Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and a “Songs of America” conversation hosted by Vanderbilt professors Jon Meacham and Jad Abumrad with performances by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell on Friday, March 24. MORE

Too many college students, taking cues from the polarized culture around them, are buying into a dichotomy. Driven by laudable intentions to be on the right side of social and political issues, they are casting certain debates in stark moral terms that pit “us”—those with what they deem as the correct opinion—against “them”—anyone who disagrees. In their zeal, these students rush to judgment, brook no disagreement, and default to moral condemnation in place of argument and persuasion. This is problematic for two reasons. First, when debate devolves into us-versus-them thinking—what the Harvard psychologist Joshua Greene calls moral tribalism—productive communication ends, along with the learning and understanding that can follow. Second, it can discourage students who are unwilling to brave the intertribal fray from sharing their own opinions. Colleges, of course, want students to argue with the fierceness of their convictions. But first we need to know how to argue constructively. The capacity to entertain different views is vital not only on a college campus but also in a pluralistic and democratic society. (The Chronicle of Higher Education - Mar. 17, 2023). 

Students representing Vanderbilt Student Government attended the SEC in D.C. conference organized by Texas A&M University earlier this month. The event brought together student leaders from several Southeastern Conference schools to discuss issues facing higher education. The trip also allowed SEC students to visit with congressional representatives. Vanderbilt students Amisha Mittal, Ari Sasson and Griffin Klein met with members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rep. Mark Green, and Rep. Andy Ogles. They lobbied for increased federal funding for university research and supported increasing the number of student visas allowed, so Vanderbilt can recruit and collaborate internationally. The students also discussed a need for more funding for mental health resources for college–aged students, as well as resources to end food and housing insecurity on college campuses. MORE

Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-VA, and Don Bacon, R-NE, and Sens. Gary Peters, D-MI, and John Cornyn, R-TX, top their respective lists of the most effective Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the recently completed 117th Congress (2021–23), according to the latest round of legislative effectiveness scores compiled by the Center for Effective Lawmaking released March 20. A joint research, education and outreach initiative between the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University, the Center for Effective Lawmaking uses a data-driven approach to study each member of Congress’ ability to advance agenda items through the legislative process and into law. The center’s legislative effectiveness scores are based on a combination of 15 metrics regarding the bills that each Congress member sponsors, how far those bills move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their policy proposals are. MORE

Douglas Adams, vice dean of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering and associate provost in the Office of Research and Innovation, has been named a member of the Springer Nature U.S. Research Advisory Council. Springer Nature is an academic publishing company that includes leading publications such as the Nature portfolio journals and Scientific American. Adams will attend the USRAC’s annual meeting at Nature’s New York office in June. The council meets annually in a roundtable workshop format with members drawn from institutions, funders, policymakers and research-driven organizations. Members advise on topics related to research culture and how research contributes to a more equitable society. These topics address Springer Nature’s strategic intent to provide the best possible service to the U.S. research ecosystem. MORE

A new study by Johan Cassel Pegelow, Assistant Professor of Finance at Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, examines the racial diversity, or rather lack thereof, within the private capital industry. The study primarily focuses on understanding if the investor side can explain part of the low prevalence of minority-owned private capital groups. The authors provide evidence that minorities attempting to enter the private capital industries by raising a first fund appear to face more difficulties in doing so than non-minorities. For those private capital groups that have successfully entered the market, minorities appear to face a different dynamic when attempting to raise follow-on funds. In particular, investors appear to be particularly intolerant of failure in minority-owned funds. The authors conclude that the evidence is consistent with a story in which part of the underrepresentation of minorities stems from the demand of investors, rather than merely being explained by supply-side factors. MORE

Vanderbilt University has named Yolanda Pierce, dean of the Howard University School of Divinity and a prominent leader on the role of religion in public life, as its next dean of the Divinity School, C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced today. Pierce, whose appointment is effective July 1 pending approval of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, has served as dean and professor of religion at Howard University since 2017. She will succeed Emilie M. Townes, a leader and innovator in the re-envisioning of theological education, to become the 17th dean in the history of the school.  A graduate of Cornell and Princeton universities, Pierce was selected by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to found the Center for African American Religious Life. As a public theologian and scholar, she has been recognized as a member of the American Academy of Religion and received numerous awards, including fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation and the Pew Foundation. MORE

Vanderbilt University’s 2023 Impact Symposium will feature actress and New York Times bestselling author Tabitha Brown; award-winning actor, director and arts and education advocate Giancarlo Esposito; and co-founder of Our Place and the Malala Fund Shiza Shahid. Each will speak on consecutive evenings March 27–29 at 7 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. Tickets are free for the Vanderbilt community using the access code “IMPACT1” and must be reserved in advance. The annual Impact Symposium is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Programming Board. MORE

The Human Genome Project took more than 13 years and $2.7 billion to complete the first genetic sequencing of a human. Now, 20 years since its completion, a full genetic sequencing costs hundreds of dollars, takes less than a few weeks and has been integrated into medical care, genealogy and forensics, among other spaces. Given the newness of genomic information being integrated into medicine, business, criminal justice and people’s lives, many questions exist about how this data can best be used for the good of health and society, as well as the ethics of privacy and the potential problems with availability of one’s genomic information. Join Aaron Conley, director of external affairs, partnerships and communications, as he explores these questions and more during the next Lab-to-Table Conversation from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to noon CT. The event is free, virtual and open to the public. Registration is required. MORE