About This Exhibit

Entering its fourth decade, Vanderbilt faced the uphill battle of gaining national prestige and leveraged opportunities to build a national identity. During this transformation, its community grappled with religion, morality, and student engagement. Key to this was Chancellor James Kirkland’s pivotal move to separate from the Episcopal Methodist Church, South, establishing a secular university in 1914. Simultaneously, Vanderbilt initiated a collaborative relationship with a newly-established neighbor, George Peabody College for Teachers. Amidst these changes, student life evolved as Vandy’s football team became nationally competitive, and literary societies flourished as a means for students to share their voices. By the end of this decade, Vanderbilt boldly took its first steps onto the national stage.

This exhibit was curated by Annalise Edwards, Kai Keltner, Raine Neely, and Theodore Stern in the fall of 2023.