I knew Jim Lawson, of course, and some of the other people who were involved in the protest movement. History is the collective memory of the human race and television news broadcasts are history in progress.
COM PRO
CLASS
ROOM
For the current 2002–03 school year, New York City has more than 8,000 teachers who are not certified in the classroom. Evertson's concern stems from years of working with and observing teachers in the classroom. She uses an example of a friend who had to integrate a new reading strategy mandate into her classroom in the middle of the school year.
One bright spot in the NCLB Act is the work that Lynn Fuchs, professor of special education at Peabody College, has done on the “Reading First” program. In the meantime, we would like to know whether the best information we have is being used.” V.
THRILL THE OF IT
Frist was also an avid tennis player at the time and took advantage of the tennis court his parents had in the backyard. Frist, the consummate Southern gentleman with his soft-spoken, gentle manners and self-deprecating humor, is effectively the reigning Evel Knieval of the hospital management industry. He started investing in the stock market and watched people get rich practicing the fine art of franchising.
He loved medicine, but he also loved flying, and he loved running the difficult mantle of the start-up business world. At the time, United Way was a pretty moribund organization,” says Ken Roberts, BA’54, JD’59, president of the Frist Foundation.
We’re not trying to preach, but we are trying to present a clear
We should share experiences.”
The students I see these days are less afraid to pray publicly or privately; they want to know the Bible better; they are more interested in the seminary," says the priest. In my generation, we wanted to go our own way, pick and choose what we wanted,” says Henderson, who is in his 30s. They value consistency, boundaries — the belief that God's love will not fail, God's love is infinite and reliable."
Such students may seek religion when they suddenly need a foundation, or if they are in a crisis," says Associate University Chaplain Gary White. "Otherwise, they are focused on preparing for a career and are overwhelmed. overworked, overplanned.” Vanderbilt is special," says Barker, who grew up a Southern Baptist in Rogersville, Tenn. "There's an intersection of world views—Southern—.
My faith accepts going at your own pace and asking questions
I looked forward to coming to college to interact with the other side and test arguments for the faith that I learned in previous years,” says Albonetti, who attended an Assembly of God-oriented high school. “I knew non-Christians before. She is the student director of the Room in the Inn program, a citywide program that houses the homeless on winter nights. It's a way to connect my religious values to the world in an active way," she says. "We do their laundry, which reminds me of the Christian tradition of foot washing—humbling yourself to serve others."
The tone of the national organization is evangelical Christian, but it is open to a wide range of believers. Vanderbilt: A private university (originally Methodist) committed to academic freedom in the heart of the Bible Belt.
I’m less a literalist about the Bible than some people. I do
A traditionally conservative campus that is home to one of the nation's preeminent liberal divinity schools. Recent hopes for a Christian fraternity at Vanderbilt may be seen as a sign of the strength of Protestant evangelical energies on campus. It is sponsored by the Reformed University Fellowship, a ministry of the conservative-minded Presbyterian Church of America.
According to the latest annual freshmen survey, 56.9 percent of the incoming class in the fall of 2002 claimed a Protestant identity. Catholic students now make up 20.4 percent of graduating freshmen and represent the largest religious group on campus.
I looked forward to coming to college to interact with the other
Both activities, outdoors and indoors, connect her to the Divinity School values that helped her clarify her calling: the religious conviction to speak out for justice and the comforting wonder of community. Within, religious tradition and pluralism coexist, jostle and interrogate each other – just as they do in the 21st century global world outside. The Divinity School has since been governed by the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.
This framework of progressivism, forged in the heart of the Bible Belt, gives the school a reputation for liberalism, at least locally. Meanwhile, the first meeting of the Vanderbilt Socratic Club actually convened on a snowy February night.
Coming down here has made me appreciate more the positive
That's what Divinity School gives me: Even when it gets crazy out there, we have faith and community to support us,” says Scott, a United Methodist who graduated this spring and is on track to become an ordained minister. The Divinity School is a mystery to some on campus—a graduate school where they study scripture and the wider world of religion. The Divinity School is ranked among the nation's top graduate schools of theological education and is one of the few, along with Harvard, Yale, and Chicago Theological Schools, to have no official denominational sponsorship.
About 200 students are enrolled in the Divinity School (for Master of Divinity or Master of Theological Studies). As a Unitarian-Universalist, student Jason Shelton, the Divinity School choir director, could have attended a Unitarian seminary, but decided on Vanderbilt's multi-faith climate as the best preparation for his ministerial future.
There are a lot of people here who identify themselves as Christian,
In all kinds of weather, MarLu Scott, a Divinity School student, has stood on the streets of Nashville to protest the death penalty and, most recently, war with Iraq, with kindred spirits. She also helps organize the eclectic series of Wednesday worship services at the school's All Faith Chapel, a stage for cross currents of the spirit and prayers for the healing of the world - a simple room of gray neutrals that adapt for a Methodist service one week, or Catholic, Lutheran or Cherokee the next. Our work is to help religious leaders prepare for lives of devotion and commitment – in a world where not everyone shares the same commitments,” says Divinity School Dean James Hudnut-Beumler.
The school was started as the Vanderbilt Bible Department in 1875 and was under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, until the university and Methodists severed ties in 1914. Some people might think that these values of diversity are lofty and academic, but we shall see. our preparations as extraordinarily realistic for the real world,” says Chris Sanders, director of development and alumni relations for the Divinity School.
SEEKING
As non-denominational, the school's statement of commitment declares its active opposition to racism, sexism and homophobia. Another 100 are studying for a doctorate. or Master of Arts in the Graduate Department of Religion. He credits Chancellor Gordon Gee with sparking students' interest in the many threads of Vanderbilt life, in the adventure of learning.
The Interfaith Council held a world religions panel this fall, representing Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Mormon, Bahai, Wicca, and Buddhist perspectives. Former Tennessean religion editor Ray Waddle is a freelance writer for national newspapers, denominational magazines and websites.
GOD AGAINST
One advantage of being ecumenical is that we live in an increasingly non-denominational world – that is, a majority of people do not now derive their livelihood from a single religious tradition, and therefore not always. Newly endowed faculty chairs in Jewish studies and Catholic studies, as well as the Methodist tradition, commit the school to a future of built-in diversity. A lack of communication between religious groups frustrated student Frank Lee, a Catholic, from joining the Interfaith Council, which he chaired this year. “We keep using the word 'diversity,' but there was a lack of communication, a lack of expression between groups,” said Lee, a senior originally from South Korea.
The point is to somehow expose students to fresh perspectives on the spiritual quest, amid the daily pressures on one's time and talents, the tensions that plague 21st century student life. Many students find it important, and they struggle with the problem: should you be on duty when?
THE GRAIN
It is a multifaceted place of serious theological study, passionate debate, critical inquiry, and diverse attitudes toward God, politics, sacred texts, and congregational life. More than 50 percent of our students are women, and more than 50 percent of worshipers, regardless of tradition, are women. And gays and lesbians are gaining their rights in city after city in this country, and this issue is not going away either."
This spring, the congregation was busy planning a music evening, with a wide range of expressions: Mormon, Muslim, contemporary Christian and others. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and a master's degree in religion from Vanderbilt.
PERFORMERSVIRTUOSO
Noelle refines a delightful aria from Antonin Dvorak's opera "Rusalka", based on the story of the Little Mermaid. Emelyne Bingham is senior lecturer in audience studies at the Blair School and assistant conductor of the Nashville Symphony. In a momentary decision, Jonathan continues to play without stopping, although his E string has dropped to a G-sharp by the end of the concerto.
Noelle Jacquez fine tunes a delicious aria from Antonin Dvorak's opera "Rusalka", based on the story of The Little Mermaid. Although the keys on the two instruments are similar, Lin's body is used to the larger, softer-toned marimba, and she stumbles a few times.
UPCOMING
Eos Orchestra performed at the Blair School's Ingram Hall in February as part of the Great Performances Series. Early this semester, numerous master classes invited some of the country's top musicians to teach students and community members at the Blair School. I pray that I don't become irrelevant, amid the roar of the Cessna's engine and the wind rushing around us.
Bernard Machen, who was a student at Vanderbilt in the early 1960s, was appointed president of the University of Utah. I read Paul Kingsbury's article in the winter issue of Vanderbilt Magazine, and I am in disbelief at the sophomoric vitriol of the two English department faculty members Kingsbury quoted. The many contributions of the fugitive poets are housed in the University Archives, where their reputation is safe in the books they wrote.
Frye Gaillard, BA'68, chaired the IMPACT program that brought Robert Kennedy to the Vanderbilt campus.
