Dear members of the Vanderbilt Class of 2030,

I am delighted to welcome you to Vanderbilt and begin what I hope will be the first of many opportunities to connect with you in the months and years ahead. As Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, I have the privilege of working closely with students during their academic journeys, and I am excited for all that lies ahead as you begin your time here.

I am also a professor of anthropology and archaeology, and my research and teaching have focused on how ancient state policies and practices have shaped the health outcomes and production capacities of people within a state’s regional domain. In this work, I bridge the social sciences with skeletal biology, archaeological chemistry and humanistic inquiry to tell an empirically based narrative about people from the past who left no written records. My work is greatly informed by my ever-present curiosity about the human experience and human interactions—through time and across space—and I deploy those interests and insights to inform how best to create an environment where students thrive during their educational experience at Vanderbilt. Throughout your time here, you will have many opportunities to learn and grow—in the classroom with your professor, working on a group project with your peers, planning an event with friends in a student organization and chatting with staff in the dining hall, among many other settings. Vanderbilt provides many 
opportunities for students, and we look forward to welcoming you here, so you can begin to explore and chart your own path. 

One of your first academic experiences will be Vanderbilt Visions, a required six-week seminar designed to prepare you for the next phase: life as a university student. Through Visions, you will engage with faculty, student leaders and your peers to understand the expectations of a Vanderbilt education and the resources available to support you.

This year, the theme for your Visions experience is Dare to Ask: Stories That Connect Us. Stories are one of the primary ways that we make sense of the world. They shape how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others. Listening to someone else’s story can create connections, and it can challenge assumptions, inviting you to see things differently, or it can reaffirm your values with a deeper understanding of yourself and others.

To begin this work, your summer assignment invites you to interview someone in your community whose experiences or perspectives differ from your own. Ideally, this is 
someone you do not know well. The goal is to approach the conversation with curiosity, to ask questions, listen carefully and deepen your understanding about that person and their experiences. Detailed instructions for the assignment follow, including how to submit your interview and reflections through a Vanderbilt web-based learning system called Brightspace. Please follow the instructions for your first academic assignment for Vanderbilt when they are provided to you.

This assignment is meant to expand your intellectual and personal capacities and lay a foundation for your tenure at Vanderbilt. Together, we aim to create a community of 
students who engage thoughtfully, compassionately and with a deep sense of curiosity about others and their ideas. The assignment asks you to step outside of your usual routines and engage in a different kind of conversation. When you arrive on campus, you will find a group of faculty, student leaders and peers ready to discuss these interviews and what was learned. 

As you embark on this next journey as a college student at Vanderbilt, there will be 
excitement and novel experiences, and you’ll have questions as you maneuver through new environments that will challenge you and support you. Some of this will feel energizing, and some of it may feel unfamiliar, and both are part of the college experience. What matters is how you engage—with curiosity, openness and a willingness to ask thoughtful questions and learn.

I look forward to welcoming you to Vanderbilt and learning more about the perspectives you will bring to our campus community. The questions you ask and the ways you engage will shape your experience here.

With warm regards,