By Melanie Moran NASHVILLE, TN — Following more than 11 years of service to Vanderbilt University, Susie Stalcup has announced her plans to retire as vice chancellor for development and alumni relations. Throughout her tenure, Stalcup has worked to expand relationships with alumni and donors and to enhance opportunities for Vanderbilt’s more than 136,000 alumni across the globe to engage in meaningful ways with the university. “I am deeply grateful to Susie for her leadership and for being an outstanding colleague during a time of significant growth and change for our university,” Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente…
Author: Article submitted
NASHVILLE, TN — In its latest effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, MAPCO, the convenience store chain with 344 locations throughout the southeastern region of the United States, announced recently the donation of 2,400 N95 respirator masks to the Nashville Office of Emergency Management. “During this unprecedented time in our community, we need to support each other and that is exactly what MAPCO’s donation is doing for Nashville frontline workers,” said Director Chief William Swann, Nashville Fire Department and Nashville Office of Emergency Management. “These N95 masks are going to help Nashville frontline workers stay safe as they continue…
By Kara Furlong NASHVILLE, TN — Vanderbilt University will use $2.8 million it receives as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to directly support students who have demonstrated need and are facing significant financial challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The disbursement, from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, is designed to prioritize students with the greatest demonstrated need and ensure that funds are distributed as widely as possible. “As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the hardships—financial and otherwise—presented by this global crisis continue…
NASHVILLE, TN — The 2020 Graduation ceremonies at American Baptist will involve four planned activities. Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, traditional ceremonies have been changed for personal health and safety purposes. The college plans to have four activities to celebrate the graduates in unique ways: 1. A Virtual Graduation – Thursday, June 11, (on the ABC Campus). Through technology, graduates will be able to remotely participate in the unique ceremony at their various home locations. Some traditional speeches and presentations will be made, other activities will be remote with students. Graduating seniors here in Nashville will participate in a…
By Ashley Luthern Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A leader. A trailblazer. A legend. As Milwaukee mourns the loss of Lenard “Lenny” Wells, those words have come up over and over. Wells, 69, died Saturday from complications of COVID-19. He spent 27 years on the Milwaukee Police Department, where he worked tirelessly to bring racial equity to the ranks as president of the League of Martin, an association for African American officers. During his tenure, the League of Martin sued to make sure promotions and assignments were fair. “He wanted African American law enforcement officers to have the same rights and opportunities…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN – Some well-heeled titans of American business have lined up at the public trough to feed on millions in loans from a special program fund that Congress created to help small businesses weather the coronavirus pandemic. The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It is supposed to provide loans to help small and medium-size businesses keep their workers on the payroll for the next couple of months. If they do, the loans will be forgiven. “I haven’t spoken to anyone who got approved in the first wave that was a sole…
By Curtis Bunn/NBC NASHVILLE, TN — Meharry Medical College was founded in 1876 in Nashville, Tennessee, to teach medicine to former enslaved Africans and to serve the underserved. Now, in one of its laboratories, a scientist says he is two weeks away from testing an anti-virus to prevent COVID-19, the disease ravaging many African American communities across the country. “And that makes us all at Meharry compelled to do our best,” the scientist, Dr. Donald Alcendor, who worked a few years ago on a successful anti-virus to the Zika virus, told NBC News. In other words, it’s personal. “This is…
NASHVILLE, TN — At the request of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee — a federal district court in Tennessee granted an emergency motion, allowing clinics to resume procedural abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision comes after Gov. Bill Lee issued a state order limiting “non-emergency” health care procedures. That order banned all abortions other than medication abortions (which involve taking pills and are only available until 11 weeks of pregnancy), despite leading national medical groups agreeing that abortion procedures are essential…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN — Epidemiologists at Vanderbilt University released a new report last week with some good news. Tennessee has reduced its transmission number to about 1.0. It refers to the number of new infections caused by a person who carries the virus. A transmission number below 1.0 for several days running is necessary to slow an epidemic in a population. Using data from the Tennessee Department of Health, the Vanderbilt team found “significantly” fewer new cases from April 6 to April 13. The research team is led by Dr. John Graves, (see Anatomy of an Epidemic, Tennessean…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN — In a move in keeping with President Trump’s plan to re-open the economy, Governor Bill Lee is ending the statewide Stay-at-Home order. He announced plans Monday to re-open some businesses as early as next week. Most others will re-open by May 1. He announced some state parks will re-open Friday, April 25. “It will be phased; it will be smart; it will be strategic and we’re making sure primarily that the health and safety of Tennesseans is put first,” Lee said. Mayor John Cooper announced his own 4-phase plan to end the Nashville’s Stay-at-Home…