Tentative agreement reached with union

Vanderbilt has reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract with Laborers International Union of North America, Local 386, which represents approximately 600 employees in the custodial, grounds, food service and skilled craft categories. See details of the proposal on VUCast.

Net Promoter not all it’s cracked up to be

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management professor Bruce Cooil and his colleagues have found that Net Promoter, a popular customer loyalty metric that bills itself as the “single most reliable indicator” of a company’s ability to grow, might in fact not be all that – findings that may have ripple effects for heavy hitters GE, Allianz, Schwab, Intuit and Amex. Listen to a podcast about this story or read more.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…

Apparently we’re not the only ones who know our faculty are the best in the nation. Though we’re flattered, it’s small consolation for the departure of Vanderbilt Learning Sciences Institute Director Andrew Porter to the University of Pennsylvania to become dean of that institution’s Graduate School of Education. Porter is the second Vanderbilt Peabody faculty member cherry-picked in the last eight months to become an education dean, with former Peabody faculty member Isaac Prilleltensky taking the helm at the University of Miami’s School of Education in September 2006. Best wishes, Andy and Isaac.

The pundits are coming! The pundits are coming!

The lineup for this year’s Impact series will have policy wonks feverishly typing into their Blackberries to share the latest quips from featured speakers Lou Dobbs, Newt Gingrich and Harold Ford, Jr. The trio will speak on the Vanderbilt campus March 19-21. If all goes well, video of the whole series will be streamed live from VUCast. Speaking of VUCast, go there now to get the whole scoop about the 2007 Impact lectures.

Costas interviews Gee

Bob Costas spent a few hours Feb. 26 on the Vanderbilt campus, or should we say he spent a few hours at the red-hot center of collegiate athletics where seven teams ranked in the top 25 for their sport nationally, talking with Chancellor Gordon Gee about the secret behind our success. The interview will air on Costas’ HBO program “Costas Now” at 9 p.m. CT on March 13.

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert speaks at Vanderbilt

Watch video of Bob Herbert at Vanderbilt. Click here for more on the story and the video.

Commodores ranked top 25 in seven sports

Seven Vanderbilt teams are currently ranked in the top 25 for their sports natonally. Baseball leads the group with Vanderbilt’s first-ever No. 1 ranking for a men’s sport. Women’s basketball is ranked 12th and men’s basketball is ranked 17th, both by the Associated Press. Women’s tennis, golf, bowling, and lacrosse are also ranked in the top 25 nationally. Download a color flyer about the 2007 Commodores to hang in your dorm, office or home! Read more at www.vucommodores.com

Dancing the night away

Dance Marathon kicks off tonight (Feb 23) at 7 p.m. The event will run until 9 a.m. on Saturday morning (Feb 24). The event is open to the public and all proceeds from Dance Marathon will go to the Children’s Hospital. Last year the event raised more than $112,000 and more than 800 students participated. Read more about Dance Marathon at VUCast or www.vudm.org.

Research offers insight into math struggles

Vanderbilt researcher Lynn Fuchs uses brain imaging to measure the effectiveness of intense math interventions. Listen to an interview with Fuchs at VUCast.

New scholars announced

Vanderbilt University announced its new class of Ingram Scholars week. Thirteen incoming freshmen were chosen out of a record-breaking applicant pool of more than 600. The Ingram Scharlars program focuses on incorporating community service and action into the students time at Vanderbilt. Get more info at VUCast.