Immersion Vanderbilt calls for each undergraduate student to participate in an intensive learning experience that takes place in and beyond the classroom and culminates in the creation of a tangible final project. Students will engage in a civic and professional, creative expression, international, or research immersion experience. Examples may include writing and producing a musical, studying the workings of cells in a lab, traveling to Guatemala to repair medical equipment, or working on a project designed to understand human behavior.
The faculty-driven executive and steering committees of the 2013-14 Strategic Planning process originally proposed the Immersion Vanderbilt program. In those many conversations, faculty members identified this initiative as a cornerstone for how the university must educate global citizens in the 21st century. It is critical that Vanderbilt students leave campus with an appreciation of broad, diverse perspectives. It is also becoming increasingly important that students engage their passions by pursuing learning both in and beyond the classroom that allows them to seek solutions to pressing problems facing society.
Learn more about this initiative by visiting the Immersion Vanderbilt website.
Committees and Subcommittees
The Immersion Vanderbilt Committee advises and consults on the development and implementation of this critical initiative from the Academic Strategic Plan. The committee membership for the past three years is provided here.
- 2017-2018 Immersion Committee
- 2016-2017 Immersion Committee
- 2015-2016 Immersion Committee
- 2014-2015 Immersion Committee
In 2015-2016, the Laboratory Science Immersion Subcommittee was changed with developing the basic outlines of potential natural science immersion experiences for Vanderbilt undergraduate students, including potential prerequisites to a laboratory and criteria for such an “immersion” experience that schools and colleges could consider.
Also in 2015-2016, the Faculty Advisory Council on International Education was charged with developing a potential definition of immersion that provided meaningful measures for considering immersion-appropriate study abroad. The group was also charged with making recommendations for a process of reviewing existing Study Abroad programs to identify possible "immersion-ready" programs that students may select as part of their .
Reports
- 2016-2017 Immersion End-of-Year Report
- 2015-2016 Immersion End-of-Year Report
- 2014-2015 Immersion End-of-Year Report
Feedback
To offer feedback on Immersion Vanderbilt, please email immersion@vanderbilt.edu or use this form.
Key Dates
Please see the interactive timeline below for key dates and milestones in the Immersion Vanderbilt development process.