History of Vanderbilt University --- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/about/history/

Interestingly the above site has been "laundered" to remove most references to the first 40 years of the University when it was a Methodist-based institution and the subsequent conflicts Vanderbilt has had with the Methodist Church.
Vanderbilt University --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanderbilt_University#Split_with_the_Methodist_Church

During the first 40 years, the Board of Trust, and therefore the university, was under the control of the General Conference (the governing body) of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Tension grew between the university administration and the Conference over the future of the school, particularly over the methods by which members of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust would be chosen, and the extent that non-Methodists could teach at the school.

Conflicts escalated after James H. Kirkland was appointed chancellor in 1893. Then the Southern Methodist Church congregations raised just $50,000 in a campaign to raise $300,000.

In 1905, the Board of Trust voted to limit Methodist representation on the board to just five bishops. Former faculty member and bishop Elijah Hoss led a group attempting to assert Methodist control. In 1910, the Board refused to seat three Methodist bishops. The Methodist Church took the issue to court and won at the local level. On March 21, 1914, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that the Commodore, and not the Methodist Church, was the university's founder and that the board could therefore seat whomever it wished. The General Conference in 1914 voted 151 to 140 to sever its ties with Vanderbilt; it also voted to establish a new university, Southern Methodist University, and to greatly expand Emory University

 

"The Religious Battle of Vanderbilt:  Booting Christian groups from campus—all in the name of 'nondiscrimination.'," by John Murray, The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2012 ---
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070304577395954161137584.html#mod=djemEditorialPage_t

Last week, Tennessee legislators sent a message to Vanderbilt University: Religious liberty matters. Large majorities in both houses passed a bill to prohibit the school from interfering in the ability of student groups to select their own leaders and members, define their own doctrines and resolve their own disputes—or Vanderbilt risks losing $24 million in state funding.

The legislation follows Vanderbilt's decision to stop recognizing campus religious organizations that require their leaders to accept certain religious beliefs on which they are founded. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Vanderbilt Catholic, Navigators and other groups—ministering to about 1,500 students—would effectively be moved off campus in the name of "nondiscrimination."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has stated that although he opposes Vanderbilt's policy, he plans to veto the bill because it is "inappropriate for government to mandate the policies of a private institution." (Thirty-six members of Congress have urged the university to reconsider, stating that its exemption of fraternities and sororities but not religious groups "suggests hostility on the part of Vanderbilt toward religious student groups.")

Ironically, the very freedom Vanderbilt administrators have to make their unfortunate decision derives from a 19th-century Supreme Court case that led to the proliferation of Christian colleges such as Vanderbilt, founded under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1873.

Dartmouth College vs. Woodward originated in 1815, when the Dartmouth Board of Trustees fired the college president, who then appealed to the state legislature for intervention. Having granted Dartmouth's charter in 1769, the New Hampshire legislature revoked it, instead forming the University of Dartmouth and filling its board with state supporters.

Very few students attended the new university, and the original one remained intact with 130 students. It was a diminished institution without state support, but with persecution came blessing—including a "wonderful interest [in Christ]," according to the record of the Dartmouth Theological Society, and the conversion of 60 students.

A similar blessing took place this spring at Vanderbilt. Student leaders of the 13 religious organizations opposing the school's policy began meeting at least twice a month to pray together. As World on Campus reported, "Even if they don't succeed in persuading administrators to rescind the policy, [one student leader said he] believes they've already won the spiritual battle and learned the lesson God was trying to teach."

Back in the early 19th century, Dartmouth College turned to alumnus Daniel Webster in its darkest hour, after its defeat in New Hampshire Superior Court. Webster argued the college's case before the Supreme Court in 1818, speaking not only for his school but for all private colleges: "This, Sir, is my case! It is the case not merely of that humble institution, it is the case of every college in our Land."

On Feb. 2, 1819, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dartmouth. Concluding that the Constitution's contract clause protected private corporate charters, the court paved the way for the founding of myriad private colleges during the 19th century—a large majority of which were affiliated with Christian denominations.

Scores of graduates became leaders in the abolitionist movement, champions of minorities and women's right to education, world missionaries as well as business leaders and influential government officials.

Yet today, Vanderbilt officials are restricting the liberty of the very sorts of religious folks who not only founded the school but whose followers led many of the nondiscrimination battles of 19th-century higher education.

Does Vanderbilt really want to miss out on future student leaders who will no doubt choose other schools where they can join organizations that support rather than undermine their faith? As an educator and Vanderbilt alumnus, I will no longer be able to recommend the university to Christian families in good conscience.

Continued in article

The current (May 11, 2012) statement at the Vanderbilt University Website is as follows ---
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/religiouslife/

Religious Life seeks to function in an educational capacity, not only for those students and groups who are traditionally religious, but by way of raising ethical questions and issues of value and character among the student body at large. Because we seek to educate the “whole person”, we view ethical and spiritual formation as integral to the University’s overall educational mission and religious life as an important dimension of the so-called hidden curriculum of the University. Therefore we seek to integrate the programs and services offered by the chaplains and professional staff into the larger life of the University community.

Office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday.
We are located in the Tarpley Building

Looking for a hospital chaplain?
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Pastoral Care

The "Chaplains" of the University are listed at
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/religiouslife/affiliated-chaplains

U.S. Supreme Court Speaks Out About Religion on Campus ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#Religion

Bob Jensen's threads on Higher Education Controversies ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm