Dear friends,
Each fall it is my honor to write to Peabody College’s alumni and closest friends to update you and seek your renewed support. As always, there is good news to share about Peabody’s recent momentum.
In fall 2023, we announced a landmark gift from Hal and Marjorie Roberts to establish the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center. In spring, we hired Jared Clodfelter, EdD’22, as the school’s first director. Now, thanks to hard work by many individuals across Vanderbilt, I am thrilled to share that the Roberts Academy opened its doors on August 12 in a temporary location with its first cohort of students. Construction will start soon on the academy’s permanent home. We continue to be deeply grateful to the Roberts family.
In the spirit of radical collaboration that characterizes Vanderbilt, Peabody faculty are deeply involved in strengthening education here in Nashville and around the globe. Whether it’s the Nashville Partnership for Educational Equity Research—our partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools—or our ongoing work to build a college of education at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad, Peabody faculty are leading the field. We are even involved with Vanderbilt’s new Institute for National Defense and Global Security.
Some other examples of forward progress:
- LIVE, our Learning Innovation Incubator, made three inaugural SPARK grants to teams exploring the use of AI to support literacy and music education and to assist in the care of people with dementia.
- The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center continues to advise states on how they can strengthen the well-being of children during their earliest years.
- This fall we are launching five new professional certificates, which will add even more value to our master’s degrees.
- Outreach programs such as the Susan Gray School, the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach, Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, and the Next Steps at Vanderbilt inclusive postsecondary program continue to thrive.
- We’ve begun the first major renovation of Payne Hall since the 1980s.
Meanwhile, undergraduate education remains the backbone of Peabody’s teaching mission. Human and Organizational Development continues to innovate by allowing customization for areas such as social entrepreneurship, organizational leadership and effectiveness, or community development. Our education, child development and cognitive studies majors are widely acclaimed and produce graduates who are in demand.
It’s not an understatement to say that Peabody changes lives: the lives of our students and the lives of all they touch. And we rely on your support to help make this happen. Your unrestricted gift through the Dare to Grow campaign provides Opportunity Vanderbilt scholarships, recruits and retains top faculty, and further develops programs with impact.
I am grateful for all that you make possible, and I ask that you make a gift today by visiting vu.edu/supportpeabody. Your commitment to Peabody is a commitment to bettering the lives of many others.
Sincerely,
Camilla P. Benbow
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development