Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored during a celebration at the Student Life Center on Feb. 28.
Susan R. Wente, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, noted in her opening remarks that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the first two endowed chairs established at Vanderbilt.
“Endowed chairs are one of the greatest tools available to us as a university to insure that we recruit and that we retain the best and the brightest of our generation,” Wente said. “The faculty members that we honor today are truly experts in their areas of research. They are outstanding teachers and educators while advancing knowledge and developing best practices that are being shared around the globe.”
Wente discussed the ongoing Chancellor’s Chair Challenge, which was launched last year to create 30 new endowed chairs. “For every $1 million that a donor provides toward an endowed chair, the university will match that, and the challenge continues through June 2018. I’m excited with the progress that we’re making with this initiative.”
Deans Jeff Balser and M. Eric Johnson described the accomplishments of the chairholders in the School of Medicine and the Owen Graduate School of Management, respectively.
The following faculty members were honored:
- Dane M. Chetkovich, Margaret and John Warner Chair for Neurological Education
- Dai H. Chung, Carolyn Perot Rathjen Chair
- Carrie L. Kitko, Ingram Professorship in Pediatric Oncology
- Björn C. Knollmann, William Stokes Chair in Experimental Therapeutics
- Rangaraj Ramanujam, Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Chair in Healthcare Management
- Dan M. Roden, Sam L. Clark, M.D., Ph.D. Chair
- Russell L. Rothman, Ingram Chair in Integrative and Population Health
- Berk A. Sensoy, Hans Stoll Chair
- Timothy J. Vogus, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management
Wente also thanked all of the donors who have made the endowed chairs possible. “We’re deeply grateful for their partnership and permanent investment in our university that we all love,” she said. She recognized family members of Vanderbilt alumni Betty Ruth and Richard M. Miller Sr., who were in attendance to celebrate an endowed chair in health care management established by the Millers.
The celebration marked the 25th event to honor faculty members named to endowed chairs. A total of 251 chair holders have been honored since the initiative to recruit and retain outstanding scholars and teachers was announced by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos in August 2010.
