Vanderbilt University is expanding its distinguished partnership with Fulbright Canada through a new, five-year memorandum of understanding. The agreement, signed by university and Canadian officials during a Dec. 3 ceremony at Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives, marks the second five-year collaboration between the two organizations and reaffirms their shared commitment to advancing academic collaboration and fostering innovative research.
The new collaboration establishes the Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair at Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science, with the recipients working closely with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Incoming Fulbright chairs will center their research at interdisciplinary centers housed within the libraries, including the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies, Vanderbilt Television News Archive, GIS Lab, Slave Societies Digital Archive and W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies, among other initiatives.
“As Vanderbilt University strives to strengthen its global engagement, we want to ensure that the world comes to our campus as well,” University Librarian Jon Shaw said. “This partnership will bring scholars from across Canada to Nashville to engage not only in groundbreaking research and discovery but also with the dynamic people, entrepreneurial initiatives, and innovative information resources that comprise and define the Heard Libraries.”
Since the establishment of the first Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at Vanderbilt in 2007, the partnership has facilitated cross-disciplinary research in fields such as literature, history, political science, environmental sciences, sociology, law and philosophy. To date, Vanderbilt has hosted 15 Fulbright Canada research chairs and three visiting chairs, with scholars contributing to the intellectual vibrancy of the university through public lectures, seminars and collaborative projects.
“The new Fulbright chair is emblematic of the interdisciplinary, collaborative approach that is core to our work in the College of Arts and Science,” said Timothy P. McNamara, Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science. “This partnership will advance our scholarship in meaningful ways, building important bridges across borders and across disciplines.”
The new partnership, initiated by Shaw and Vanderbilt Professor of French and Comparative Literature Robert Barsky, builds on a shared legacy of academic excellence and innovation. Both Vanderbilt and Fulbright Canada address pressing contemporary challenges through collaborative research and cross-border knowledge exchange. From fostering deeper understanding in the humanities and social sciences to driving advancements in the STEM disciplines, the collaboration symbolizes a mutual commitment to strengthening ties between Canada and the United States.
Eighteen Canadian Fulbright scholars have come to Vanderbilt thanks to Fulbright Canada, including Professor of History R. Blake Brown of Saint Mary’s University, who served as the inaugural Fulbright Canada Visiting Chair, and Associate Professor Karis Shearer of the University of British Columbia (Okanagan), where she directs the AMP digital archive and conducts research on Canadian modernism and women’s labor in poetry communities.
“Since 2007, Fulbright Canada and Vanderbilt University have worked together to push the boundaries of knowledge, foster global collaboration, and nurture the next generation of thought leaders,” said Michael Hawes, president and CEO of Fulbright Canada. “This new partnership reaffirms our shared vision and our resolve to empower scholars who address the complex challenges of our time. We look forward to the next five years of impactful collaboration.”
ABOUT FULBRIGHT CANADA
Established in 1946, the Fulbright program has supported more than 325,000 students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists across 155 countries. It remains one of the world’s most distinguished academic honors. The program aims to foster mutual understanding and academic excellence. Fulbright Canada is a binational, treaty-based, non-governmental organization that identifies and supports exceptional scholars and students in Canada and the United States by providing academic exchange programs through merit-based grants.
ABOUT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1873, Vanderbilt University is internationally recognized for its transformative education and research. The university’s 10 schools reside on a park-like campus set in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, providing a collaborative culture that empowers leaders of tomorrow. In addition to offering an immersive residential undergraduate experience, Vanderbilt is deeply committed to expanding the global impact of its innovation and research as it increases opportunities for faculty, students and staff to pursue bold new ideas and discoveries.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Stacey Vincent
Public Affairs Officer
Fulbright Canada
(613) 688-5514
svincent@fulbright.ca
www.fulbright.ca
Seth Robertson
Director of Strategic Communications
Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries
Vanderbilt University
(615) 322-0817
seth.robertson@vanderbilt.edu
www.vanderbilt.edu