by Kara Furlong

For freshman William Schreiber, it’s the quiet confines of Central Library, setting aside his studies to think through a potential project.

Fellow freshman Branden Sanders says it’s walking across campus, finding inspiration for a composition.

For junior Maria Hibbard, it’s interpreting a piece of music on her bassoon – or doing the prep work for a research paper she’s about to write.

Ask these students – or a dozen others at Vanderbilt – when and where they’ve felt most creative on campus, and you’re likely to get as many different answers.

Take, for example, the work of Vanderbilt sociologists Steven Tepper and Jennifer Lena, who did a mapping exercise involving Vanderbilt students to learn more about the everyday nature of creativity. (Their findings, and the methodology they implemented, will be published in an upcoming issue of The Sociological Quarterly.)

“We surveyed about 150 students asking them where creativity happens for them on campus, and how,” Tepper said. “For the most part, it wasn’t in the classroom or the studio or the laboratory. It was when they were working on a homecoming float, or in a conversation, or while involved in religious programs.”

Creativity clearly abounds at Vanderbilt – but is it possible to harness creative efforts and direct them toward a common goal? Can a select group of students hone their creative and entrepreneurial skills and serve as ambassadors to the rest of campus? Can this change the learning environment at Vanderbilt? A new initiative spearheaded by the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy seeks to find out.

To read more about it, visit the Vanderbilt View online here.

Contact: Kara Furlong, kara.furlong@vanderbilt.edu