Vanderbilt University, based in Nashville, Tennessee, is planning an expansion in New York City.
The Nashville Tenneseean reports that Vanderbilt has entered into a lease agreement with The General Theological Seminary to take over its campus in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan — including 13 buildings and about 150,000 square feet.
Vanderbilt is still in the process of receiving approval from New York state government for the lease and any future programming.
“As home to leading institutions in finance, media, technology and the arts, and as a jumping-off point to the rest of the world, New York offers unbounded opportunities," Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said
The university says that about 7,800 alumni and 740 current students live in or are from the New York area.
Programming details for Vanderbilt's New York campus are still in the early stages and await state approval. A faculty advisory committee has convened to discuss how best to use the campus.
The General Theological Seminary plans to continue limited operations on the Chelsea campus by offering two-week intensive classes and maintaining some office space. Vanderbilt emphasized that the seminary will remain a separate entity
Earlier this month, Vanderbilt also advanced its plan to build a 300,000-square foot graduate campus in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Both potential new campuses fit into Vanderbilt's ongoing mission to “bring the world to Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt to the world.”
