www.vanderbiltcommodore.com

The Commodore is the University’s official student yearbook. It provides a history in pictures and copy of a particular year at Vanderbilt University, creating continuity for future generations of students.

HISTORY
The yearbook was first published as the Comet in 1886-87 by members of the University’s fraternities. According to the Salutatory in the first volume, the yearbook received its name because of Astronomy Professor E.E. Barnard's national influence and the attention his discoveries brought to Vanderbilt.1 In 1909 the book’s name was changed to Commodore in response to a campus movement to unite the school under a common mascot and identity. About 1915 the Commodore evolved from a fraternity publication to university-wide yearbook.2 The yearbook came under control of VSC in 1967. In a higher education landscape that is seeing the rapid demise of traditional yearbooks, the Commodore remains stable and strong.

FREQUENCY
The Commodore is published once a year in the fall and mailed directly to the address of purchasers. The typical edition includes approximately 400 pages in a mix of black-and-white and color. All undergraduate students who sit for portaits have them included in the yearbook. Additionally, the yearbook includes a directory in the back of the book so that all students' names are included as a part of this permanent university record.

STAFF
The Commodore editorial board is comprised of approximately 5 students, including the Editor-in-Chief. The entire staff includes some 20 students who work as writers, editors, photographers, designers, and office assistants.

FACILITIES
The Commodore main office is located in 192 Sarratt Student Center. The business office is located in 135B Sarratt.

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Associated Collegiate Press
College Media Advisers
Columbia Scholastic Press Association

CONTACT INFORMATION
The Commodore Yearbook
Vanderbilt University
2301 Vanderbilt Place
VU Station B 351517
Nashville, TN 37235-1517

The Commodore Yearbook
Vanderbilt University
2301 Vanderbilt Place
VU Station B 351517
Nashville, TN 37235-1517

615-322-2450 Main Office
615-322-3483 Business Office
615-343-2756 Fax

commodore@vanderbilt.edu

1 Shea Sullivan, "100 Years in the Making". Commodore Vol. 100 (1986). p. 14.
2 Paul K. Conkin, Gone with the Ivy: A Biography of Vanderbilt University. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1985.

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