Nearly 100 years to the day after Peabody College at Vanderbilt University presented the first-ever Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award at an institution of higher learning, it will once again honor an exceptional graduating senior during its undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 9, 2025. The prestigious Sullivan Award celebrates students whose lives exemplify outstanding integrity, character, and dedication to serving others.
Peabody College, now part of Vanderbilt University, first presented the Sullivan Award in 1925, marking the beginning of a storied tradition that takes place at over 70 colleges and universities across the American South. The 2025 Vanderbilt Commencement, set against the backdrop of GEODIS Park, home to the Nashville Soccer Club, provides a fitting venue for this historic centennial recognition.
This significant milestone for Vanderbilt coincides with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation’s yearlong Centennial Celebration, recently launched at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College with the Sullivan Showcase annual event held on April 11. The Showcase brought together more than one hundred Sullivan Network School alumni, educators, and supporters who celebrated the transformative power of service leadership.
Highlighting the Centennial Showcase was the presentation of the Sullivan Luminary Award to Julie Gehrki, Rhodes College alumna and president of the Walmart Foundation. Gehrki’s extensive philanthropic career, from grassroots community initiatives to overseeing global giving programs totaling billions of dollars, exemplifies the spirit of service championed by the Sullivan Foundation.
“Julie Gehrki’s journey underscores the lasting impact of values instilled in Sullivan Award recipients,” said Steve McDavid, President of the Sullivan Foundation. “The Sullivan Centennial reminds us that the ideals of compassion, integrity, and community service, first honored at Peabody College in 1925, are as vital today as ever.”
Also honored at the Sullivan Showcase was Vanderbilt’s own Dr. Sharon Shields, a recent Faculty Sullivan Award recipient recognized for her pioneering work in service-learning and community health equity. Shields notably helped revive the Sullivan Award tradition at Vanderbilt after rediscovering a historical plaque honoring early recipients.
Vanderbilt’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. on May 9 at GEODIS Park, marking not only the graduation of the Class of 2025 but also the continuation of a century-long legacy of honoring service-minded students who make meaningful impacts within their communities and beyond.
“As we celebrate this historic moment,” McDavid added, “we renew our commitment to fostering generations of compassionate leaders dedicated to serving others—just as Algernon Sydney Sullivan envisioned more than a century ago.”
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