James Kellerhouse was announced to head the New York initiative as the assistant vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and executive director of operations and engagement for Vanderbilt University – New York City on March 26. The Hustler interviewed Kellerhouse to discuss his new position and the upcoming campus.
The university announced its plans to create a New York campus in the Chelsea Neighborhood on September 26, 2024. This campus, along with the plans for the West Palm Beach campus, is a part of a new initiative to expand the university’s reach across the country.
The Vanderbilt Hustler: What was your background leading up to your position of assistant vice chancellor of the New York campus?
Kellerhouse: I’ll start at the beginning, because [this new position] really aligns with the career and life that I have. I’m a first-generation college student. I grew up in a rural community in upstate New York, [and] there were really not huge aspirations for moving beyond the space I grew up in. I knew I always wanted to experience more, so I found a small liberal arts college that opened my mind. [I] had an incredible experience there as a student. [I] loved the interdisciplinary nature of my degree in interdisciplinary studies and social sciences, [which included] history, psychology, sociology and anthropology. [My degree] was made possible through philanthropy [because] I got a scholarship as a student. Because there was philanthropy such as Pell Grant programs, I could take advantage of that to make college more affordable for me.
I wanted to pay that [philanthropy] forward through my career, so I started in residence life. I then switched to philanthropy and external affairs community engagement and really built my career in that space, working at different institutions and moving up along the way. I worked at a small liberal arts college, then moved into a law school, so I know all about legal education. I then went to a health system with a medical college, so, again, further expanding my horizon in terms of engagement, mission and support. At the same time, [I] rose through leadership positions along the way. Now, it’s hard to believe that I look back and have almost 30 years of experience in higher education in areas [such as] government, corporate, foundation, engagement, philanthropy, working with alumni and parents, fundraising, building campaigns and building programs.
Most recently, I was at Hartwick College in upstate New York, and my portfolio included career development and network engagement, implementing a program called Flight Path, where we built distinct pathways for students through their academic programs and through career experiences to prepare them for life after college. How could we include in their journey substantive career experiences and help them build their network so that when they graduate, they have a supportive, ongoing experience that connects them to the college, but also make sure they have the resources to be successful in their life? That brought me to a point where I was looking for a bit of a change. I’d been hearing a lot about Vanderbilt and had a former boss who joined Vanderbilt about 18 months before I did. I was excited by the Chancellor, [Daniel Diermeier’s], vision. I love the [mission of] “dare to grow” of the university, and then to see programs like Dialogue Vanderbilt, the development of a West Palm Beach campus [and] the interdisciplinary programs. For example, I was reading about how you were reporting on the new sports and society minor [and] this idea of bringing something sports-related [to] what could be seen as a bit more career aligned and making sure it is foundationally in the liberal arts and understanding the impact that it has on our broader society.
What was the hiring process like for this new position?
It was exciting. I had the chance to formally submit through the process, come to Nashville and meet with a lot of the senior leadership here. It just continued to excite me to learn more about the university, but also to see the commitment and vision of the leadership of the university. An effort like this really involves so many players. I’m a single person right now [working] on the New York City campus, which is exciting, but alongside me is incredible leadership and professionals from Nashville who are helping to operationalize this. Everything from our Auxiliary Services team, who’s helping to understand how we do conferences and events on this campus, as well as programming, food service printing, mailing — all of those things — to facilities [and] residence life. From what it’s going to be like for a student who will study for a semester in New York City to the Provost Office and ensuring that the academic program, facilities and the vision that we have here aligns [with Vanderbilt] and is supporting students to the best degree that it possibly can, it’s an incredible opportunity to be working alongside these folks.
The [hiring] process involved going through an interview with everyone, and on the other side of it, I was excited to be extended the offer to relocate to New York City because I was actually [already] in upstate New York. I’m here to activate the campus, and that can take on so many different forms — operationally [or] engagement wise — that just make every day a different day, a new day and an exciting day, because we get to shape something in New York City that’s specifically for Vanderbilt. This will be unique, and this campus is incredible.
Could you provide some background on the New York Campus?
[The land] was established in 1827 as the general Theological Seminary in Chelsea, New York. The donor — again, philanthropy plays such a huge role right in how we get to where we are today, and the incredible institutions we’ve had in the U.S. — gave their apple orchard from their estate to build this seminary. It had to be an Episcopal seminary, and so it was started. It’s the oldest continuous Episcopal seminary in the U.S. They built an entire city block and, if you were here, you could see it looks a lot like Vanderbilt living on it — a lot of the red brick buildings and some Gothic architecture resembles and was modeled after Cambridge, Oxford and England. It’s about 180,000 square feet of living, learning and convening space. Everything from a conference center to a brand new library, classrooms, other meeting spaces and residence halls. These residence halls are in beautiful brownstones right along the city block and they all open into the center of campus. The entire campus is surrounded by this black wrought iron fencing that just accentuates the legacy and the history. It’s been operating as a seminary for nearly 200 years, and as a seminary, their enrollment has declined a bit. The General Theological Seminary was looking for a partner, someone who could really support and preserve the legacy of the campus, architecture and the style, and be that place that continues to commit to intellectual curiosity.
[The seminary’s] tenants wanted to bring in an institution that would continue to steward [their vision] and would be a great fit for the Chelsea neighborhood, which, culturally, is a dynamic, vibrant place. What makes [the New York campus] distinctive is when you look at a lot of the [other] extension universities in New York City, they tend to lease office building spaces for students and much of that is Midtown. [The Vanderbilt campus] is cool because it’s in Chelsea and it’s about 10 blocks south of Penn Station, [which is] 20-30 blocks away from Grand Central Station. It’s really its own community, its own kind of neighborhood, and it’s close to the Whitney Museum, the High Line and several nonprofits. The neighborhood is so excited that we’re here and that Vanderbilt will be bringing students here.
What will programming look like in New York?
We will welcome about 100 students per semester — undergraduates, probably mostly in the arts and sciences — to have an internship experience in New York City and also have an immersive city experience. Though we might have our campus in a very safe, gated space off of New York, our job is to make sure that [students] get the full feel and breadth of New York City.
There’s really no other city like it. You can travel a lot, but in terms of culture, food, people, museums and sports — it is a place where everyone around the world comes to. You experience this every day — on the street, in the subway, where you work, the people you work alongside. People speak different languages, they have different cultures — you learn and you build. [New York City] creates such a cool environment as a result of that. You’ll come, take some classes on campus [and] you’ll have an internship that’s aligned with what you want to do, but we’ll also [create] an experience that makes you feel comfortable living, learning, understanding and ultimately experiencing New York.
Programs such as this were super exciting when I was thinking about the type of university I wanted to work for. I wanted to work for a great university, but I also wanted to work for a great university that makes sure that all students have the opportunities to experience everything [the school] has to offer. To work at a university that sees how important it is for students to have experiences like seeing sporting events or studying abroad, and making it possible financially for everyone, regardless of background, is extraordinary. That adds to New York City and that adds to West Palm Beach. [In New York City], you’re going to learn to ride the subway, the bus system, take a city bike across Manhattan, go to the Statue of Liberty, go to a Broadway show, see a Yankees game [and] go to the performing arts and other spaces so you really have that truly unique New York experience. And the food here is incredible. So culture, food, all of that — it’ll be great.
What is your vision for students academically and developmentally, and how do you think those who come into the New York campus will be impacted by their experiences there?
Part of what we want to do academically, especially with career experiences, is to find something for students that really inspires them and ignites their passion for the work that they want to do. We are [compiling] about 100 internship opportunities per semester for students. If you’re interested in consulting, then you can have opportunities at places such as Deloitte Finance [and] Goldman Sachs, and you’ll be down on Wall Street. If you’re interested in transportation and urban planning, then there will be internship opportunities [in New York City] too — it could be working for a nonprofit doing social service work or legal services in the city.
For us, it’s [this]: how do we build something that gets you the experience that you’re looking for? The transformation happens on the academic side, where you get the career and industry aligned experience. There are also other aspects which we talked about, which is making sure that our students are getting off campus to enjoy the food, culture, arts and the people in New York — it’s everything. How do you become comfortable in the New York City environment? How do you navigate an extensive urban environment? How do you take advantage of all that it has to offer? And frequently, when students want to come to New York City post-graduation from any college or university, employers look for those [previous] New York City experiences, because if you don’t have them, it can be really hard to onboard. It can be hard to be a young professional in an unsupported environment [and to] come in and find a place to live, figure out how to navigate the city and not get overwhelmed by it.
[Our goal is to allow] you to have this experience through Vanderbilt. You come ready to have a career experience post graduation, whether it’s graduate school or in your profession. And I think that’s what also transforms students: getting them ready to be in a very different environment. From New York, you could almost go anywhere in the world with those same experiences and understand the broader context with which you can have a successful career and life in an urban environment. Nashville is incredible, and I’ve been there several times, but New York is very different. It’s transforming to spend some time in a real urban environment and have the support that you have from the university, but also incredible experiences that open your mind.
Are there any final remarks you would like to share?
Something [our team] was just thinking about [was] how I spend my day here in the city and what I do. My job right now is just getting on the ground, building great relationships with corporate partners and possible places for internships, research and opportunities for students to build their networks with nonprofits and elected government officials. [I’m also] making sure that we’re [hosting] programs on campus. We’re already doing some really great academic programs that have brought in more than 8,000 alumni and parents. We reach out to them and have them on campus.
Not only is [the New York campus] for students, but it’s for the Vanderbilt community in New York City. We have over 8,100 alumni, parents and family members who are here that are interested in attending programs, alumni events and being a part of the student networks. If you’re in the city, even as a student, you can stop by campus. There’s a lounge that will be here. You’ll have co-working spaces and an opportunity to engage with the professionals who will be here. Not only is it about the student experience, but it’s also about creating a home for Vanderbilt in New York City.
