The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Vanderbilt University
at Nashville, Tenn.; coeducational; chartered 1872 as Central Univ. of Methodist Episcopal Church, founded and renamed 1873, opened 1875 through a gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt. Until 1914 it operated under the auspices of the Methodist Church. Major facilities at Vanderbilt include the Dyer Observatory for astronomical research, the Vanderbilt Medical Center, the Free Electron Laser Center, the Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development, and the Robert Penn Warren Center of Humanities.
