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‭Arnav Sharma‬

‭Professor Littlejohn‬

‭WRI 111‬

‭13 December 2023‬

‭Vanderbilt’s Captivating Homepage‬

‭The homepage of Vanderbilt University (‬‭www.vanderbilt.edu‬‭)‬‭provides an informative,‬

‭well-designed view into one of America’s most prestigious institutions. Employing rhetoric to‬

‭convey the school’s identity, the website appeals to a diverse audience of prospective students,‬

‭faculty, and the general public. It approaches viewers with a deeply personalized appeal, using its‬

‭multifaceted design to complement the values of those interested in the university. As such, the‬

‭website shapes its content around the viewers themselves; it shines an engaging light on the‬

‭school, given the multitude of priorities and beliefs it aligns with. Vanderbilt’s homepage is‬

‭successful in its appeal, as it uses Aristotelian patterns of rhetoric to highlight the school’s legacy‬

‭and‬‭personalize‬‭its allure to viewers.‬

‭The site’s aim, in essence, is to persuade the general public of Vanderbilt’s notability and‬

‭high bar of education. Suggesting that the university offers a prestigious and well-tailored‬

‭pathway to knowledge, the homepage projects itself to an audience of the school’s prospective‬

‭community members. Undergraduate students constitute the bulk of this community, although‬

‭graduates and faculty are no less part of it. In the context of advertisement, the website thus‬

‭fosters a connection between its viewers, Vanderbilt’s appeal, and Vanderbilt itself. The website‬

‭addresses‬‭its viewers, moreover, by often using the‬‭word “you” and other personal pronouns in‬

‭describing a Vanderbilt education. Pairing “you” with actions such as “thrive,” “inspire,”‬

‭“nurture,” and “grow,” there is a significant emphasis on the benefits of Vanderbilt to the‬
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‭individual. The university is essentially “speculating about the reader’s expectations” in relation‬

‭to the college experience, writing in the second-person to emphasize how it fulfills them‬

‭(Roskelly 8).‬

‭The use of personal pronouns also emphasizes Vanderbilt’s “collaborative” approach‬

‭towards learning, situated within a “competitive” academic environment. Stressing the collective‬

‭nature of Vanderbilt’s accomplishments, the frequent use of “we” and “us” informs the viewer of‬

‭the university’s priorities. The same is done with imagery on the homepage, given that most‬

‭photos are candid shots of students enjoying one another’s company. Depicting students sitting in‬

‭the grass, smiling and laughing, these pictures all denote‬‭togetherness‬‭. In particular, one photo‬

‭shows three students with their arms around each other, posing for a camera while holding up‬

‭Vanderbilt’s hand sign. Just as the students have their hands on each other’s backs, it is clear that‬

‭the university intends to illustrate a similar message of support for its prospective community‬

‭members.‬

‭A playful blend of colors in the homepage’s banner creates an ethos, or perception of‬

‭credibility, for Vanderbilt itself. One of the first claims on the website is that of the university’s‬

‭“rich history,” seeing as the school is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding. As such,‬

‭the banner juxtaposes black-and-white and color photos next to each other to validate the nuance‬

‭of Vanderbilt’s history. Pictures of the university’s construction are placed adjacent to photos of‬

‭students conducting research with computers, and thus, the viewer can understand the school’s‬

‭well-established image and authority. Vanderbilt’s roots give credibility to its‬‭standards‬‭, seeing‬

‭as the institution has lasted the test of time and (in the eyes of the viewer) is likely to continue‬

‭doing so in the future. Further ethos arises from the accomplishments of the university’s alumni,‬

‭mentioned in bold headlines near the middle of the homepage. The names of two alums, Mark T.‬
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‭Esper and María Magdalena Campos-Pons, are brought up in regard to their prominence. For‬

‭Esper, the website highlights his title as the 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense; with Campos-Pons,‬

‭the site underscores her win of a 2023 MacArthur Fellowship. Vanderbilt uses the work of its‬

‭alumni to again emphasize the output of its education, accumulating ethos through the‬

‭achievements of those from the school itself. Viewers may begin to prioritize the‬‭results‬‭of‬

‭attending Vanderbilt, appreciating the school’s productive nature above most else. The ability to‬

‭shape promising futures fulfills any viewer’s appetite for success, enticing them to join‬

‭Vanderbilt’s academic community.‬

‭The homepage establishes logos, a separate appeal based on logic or reason, by including‬

‭facts and figures related to Vanderbilt’s prestige. In explicitly mentioning Vanderbilt’s top‬

‭rankings and statistical attributes, the webpage uses data-driven rhetoric to convince viewers of‬

‭the school’s distinction. Stating that Vanderbilt is the “nation’s #13 ranked university” and has an‬

‭effective “7:1 student-to-highly-dedicated-faculty ratio,” the website tries to make a more‬

‭objective appeal to its audience. Vanderbilt presents itself as a highly-regarded institution,‬

‭enticing viewers to‬‭validate‬‭themselves (in an academic‬‭sense) by attending. Unlike a more‬

‭subjective appeal (through language), empirical evidence provides a more straightforward route‬

‭to persuasion. The same idea is also applied to a description of Vanderbilt’s academic breadth,‬

‭emphasizing that the university “offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and a full range of‬

‭graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges.” Rather than simply stating to‬

‭the viewer that Vanderbilt has vast academic offerings, the website uses numerical details to‬

‭support its claim. The viewer is allured to the school’s‬‭esteem‬‭, in other words, by first learning of‬

‭its academic versatility.‬

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‭Regarding pathos, moreover, the homepage uses a combination of linguistic and iconic‬

‭rhetoric to evoke an emotional response from the viewer. Mentioning a “beautiful, intimate‬

‭campus,” “immersive academic community,” and “inspiring” quality of cross-disciplinary‬

‭research, the page reflects the sentimental experiences associated with a Vanderbilt education.‬

‭Relying on thought-provoking adjectives to communicate the benefits of attending Vanderbilt, it‬

‭is evident that the website focuses on the more “nurturing” aspects of the university’s culture.‬

‭The connotative side of the website’s imagery also contributes to this focus, with images‬

‭designed to reflect the ways in which Vanderbilt fosters growth and well-being. For instance,‬

‭there is a picture of a student smiling while adjusting his graduation cap. The image connotes, in‬

‭effect, that the student is happy‬‭because‬‭he’s graduating‬‭from Vanderbilt. Correlating an‬

‭expression of joy with the crest on the student’s gown, the photo instills a belief in the viewer‬

‭that they could experience similar emotions if they were to complete a degree from Vanderbilt.‬

‭The same is done with the engaged expressions of students pictured in classrooms or between‬

‭stacks of books. Images of such expressions are meant to convey the enthusiasm of Vanderbilt’s‬

‭academic community towards learning, ideally aligning with a similar level of enthusiasm from‬

‭the viewer. The meanings of images, in any form, are designed with clear intent and purpose by‬

‭those incorporating the images into their work; in the case of Vanderbilt’s homepage, this intent‬

‭is to have viewers‬‭connect‬‭to the images themselves‬‭(Barthes 152).‬

‭The website uses clear, easily understood messages in order to exemplify Vanderbilt’s‬

‭values. With no more than one sentence written in any given section, the webpage requires‬

‭minimal attention to detail to comprehend thoroughly. It is a simple process for the reader to‬

‭jump between ideas on the page, given that headers are no longer than a few words. More‬

‭extended details are consolidated into hyperlinks, such that descriptions of more specific events,‬
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‭news, and attributes do not cloud a general overview of the university. From a broader view, the‬

‭website’s openness and lack of clutter make it less complicated for the reader to understand its‬

‭content. Its well-structured design reflects the similarly well-structured nature of a Vanderbilt‬

‭education, assuring viewers of the school’s merit and quality.‬

‭Vanderbilt’s homepage, a well-crafted lens into the university itself, relies on viewers to‬

‭identify with the aims and values it puts forth. Banking on the viewer’s ability to envision‬

‭themselves in the shoes of current students, faculty, and alumni, the website incorporates an‬

‭illustrative‬‭focus into its rhetoric. It exhibits‬‭the worth of a Vanderbilt education, with the‬

‭effectiveness‬‭of its message tied to the‬‭effectiveness‬‭of attending the school. Painting a Vanderbilt‬

‭degree as a means to further oneself, the homepage acts as an effective terminal through which to‬

‭publicize the university. It portrays Vanderbilt under the spotlight of its renown, using‬

‭Aristotelian rhetoric to more succinctly, directly, and‬‭cohesively‬‭appeal to its viewers.‬

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‭Works Cited‬

‭Barthes, Roland. "Rhetoric of the Image." Image, Music, Text. Ed. and trans. Stephen Heath.‬

‭New York: Hill and Wang, 1977. 32-51.‬

‭Roskelly, Hephzibah, and David A. Jolliffe. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and‬

‭Writing. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005.‬