had collaborated in a number of ways since 1914 when classes were first offered on Peabody's campus next to Vanderbilt. By the late 1970s a series of serious financial missteps had left Peabody's finances in such poor shape that the school's choices seemed to be reduced to three: either negotiating mergers with either primarily White Vanderbilt or primarily Black Tennessee State University or closing entirely. The former path was chosen, and Peabody became a part of Vanderbilt in 1979. Development as part of Vanderbilt For many years following the merger, Peabody maintained a considerable separate identity within Vanderbilt, but this is now somewhat diminished. In 2008, Peabody became the site of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, the housing for all first-year Vanderbilt students. In an organizational sense, too, Peabody College constitutes a vital part of today's Vanderbilt. As one of the university's ten schools, it not only trains undergraduate and graduate students – Peabody offers 6 Ph.D. programs, 3 Ed.D. program tracks, and 16 master's degree programs – but conducts substantial research in human learning and cognition and an array of other disciplines, including some research collaborations with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It is now the host of 18 research centers, including two government-funded national research centers: the National Center on School Choice and the National Center on Performance Incentives. Peabody College is consistently ranked among the top graduate schools of education. Over the last 10 years, it has been ranked first among graduate schools of education by U.S. News & World Report five times, and seven of its graduate programs are currently ranked among the top five nationally, including #1 rankings for special education and education administration/supervision. Peabody College publishes the Peabody Journal of Education, the second longest-running publication devoted exclusively to educational research, practice, and policy. In 2017, Peabody began offering several online degree programs including an online Master of Education (M.Ed.) with a specialization in School Counseling and an online Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) with a specialization in Leadership and Learning in Organizations. Administration and Organization Peabody College's current dean is Camilla Benbow, who has served since 1998. Peabody College is organized into five academic departments: Department of Human and Organizational Development Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations Department of Psychology and Human Development Department of Special Education Department of Teaching and Learning The following is a list of presidents of Peabody College (1875-1979) and its predecessor