| The University of the South | |
|---|---|
| Latin: Universitas Meridiana | |
| Motto | Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum. (Latin, from Psalm 133) |
| Motto in English | Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.[1] |
| Established | 1857 |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| Endowment | USD$246.1 million[2] |
| Chancellor | The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander |
| Vice-Chancellor | John McCardell, Jr. |
| Undergraduates | 1,383 |
| Postgraduates | 177 |
| Location | Sewanee, TN, USA |
| Campus | Southern Rural, 13,000 acres (40 km²) |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III 24 varsity teams |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Affiliations | SCAC |
| Website | www.sewanee.edu |
The University of the South is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by twenty-eight southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church and its School of Theology is an official seminary of the church. The university's School of Letters offers graduate degrees in American Literature and Creative Writing. The campus (officially called "The Domain" or, affectionately, "The Mountain") consists of 13,000 acres (53 km2)[3] of scenic mountain property atop the Cumberland Plateau in southeastern Tennessee, although the developed portion occupies only about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2).
Often known simply as Sewanee, the school has produced 26 Rhodes Scholars and was ranked 32nd in the annual US News & World Report list of liberal arts colleges.[4][5] In 2011, Forbes ranked it 57th on Forbes List of America's 650 Best Colleges.[6] Sewanee is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South.
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On July 4, 1857, delegates from ten dioceses of the Episcopal Church — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas — were led up Monteagle mountain by Bishop Leonidas Polk for the founding of their denominational college for the region. The six-ton marble cornerstone, laid on October 10, 1860 and consecrated by Bishop Polk, was blown up in 1863 by Union soldiers from an Illinois regiment; many of the pieces were collected and kept as keepsakes by the soldiers. At least a few were donated back to the University, and a large fragment was eventually installed in a wall of All Saints' Chapel, where the relic can be visited by pilgrims. Several figures later prominent in the Confederacy, notably Bishop-General Leonidas Polk, Bishop Stephen Elliott, and Bishop James Hervey Otey, were significant founders of the University. Generals Edmund Kirby Smith, Josiah Gorgas and Francis A. Shoup were prominent in the University's postbellum revival and continuance.
Because of the damage and disruptions of the Civil War, construction came to a temporary halt around that time. In 1866 the process was resumed, and this date is sometimes given as the re-founding of the University and the point from which it has maintained continuous operations (though official materials and anniversary celebrations use 1857 as the founding year). The University's first convocation was held on September 18, 1868, with nine students and four faculty members present. After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee was offered the position of Vice-Chancellor but declined, choosing instead to work at Washington College in his native Virginia. The Rt. Rev. Charles Todd Quintard, Vice Chancellor of the University (Second Bishop of Tennessee and "Chaplain of the Confederacy") journeyed to the first Lambeth Conference in England (1868) and received financial support from clergy and laity of the Church of England which enabled the rebuilding of the school. He is known as the "Re-Founder" of the University of the South.
During World War II, University of the South was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.[7]
Schools of dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, and nursing once existed, and a secondary school was part of the institution well into the second half of the twentieth century. For financial reasons, however, it was eventually decided to focus on two schools which exist today, the College and the School of Theology. In June 2006, Sewanee opened its School of Letters, a second graduate school. The School of Letters offers an M.A. in American Literature and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing.
The Sewanee campus includes many buildings constructed of various materials faced with local stone, most done in the Gothic style.
The institution has combined its two historical names in all University publications that are not official documents and bills itself as "Sewanee: The University of the South." The Sewanee Graphics Identity Standards Manual, a document reflecting the official policies of the university with respect to its public image, states, in part:
When this naming system was proposed in 2004, it was misinterpreted by some alumni to reflect a change in the official name of the University. A minor scandal ensued, due in large part to insinuations that the change was intended to "distance" the University from its historic association with Southern culture.[11][12] The controversy has generally subsided, though some students and alumni still mistakenly refer to the incident as a "name change".
The school has long been known for its literary associations. The Sewanee Review, founded in 1892, is thought to be the longest-running literary magazine in the country and has published and been praised by many distinguished authors. Its success has helped launch the Sewanee Writers' Conference, held each summer.
In 1983, playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner Tennessee Williams left his literary rights to the University of the South. Royalties have helped build the Tennessee Williams Center, a performance venue and teaching facility, and to create the Tennessee Williams teaching fellowships, which bring well-known figures in the arts to the campus.
"Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum," the University's motto, is taken from the opening of Psalm 133: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
In the fall of 2008, the University of the South made a public commitment to environmental sustainability during its Sustainability Week, which featured speakers, feasts of local foods, and environmentally themed documentaries. The Sewanee campus is also home to an EcoHouse, and residence halls compete in the Eco-Cup competition each year in an attempt to reduce their energy consumption. In 2007, the University of the South became a signatory to the Presidents Climate Commitment. As of 2011, the university received a B on the College Sustainability Report Card.[13]
The school is rich in distinctive traditions, many of which are tied to Southern culture. For example, male students have always worn coats and ties to classes—this tradition has generally been continued, though the coat and tie are often combined with casual pants and, sometimes, shorts. Faculty and student members of the primary honor society and main branch of student government, the Order of Gownsmen, wear academic gowns to teach or attend class—perhaps the last vestige of this historically English practice in North America.[11] Furthermore, the Order is charged with the maintenance of this and other traditions of the University.[14] Similarly, drinking clubs, including The Highlanders and The Wellingtons, The Beefeaters, and ribbon societies continue to thrive after many decades. At major events, members of the former two groups display their distinctive ceremonial garb, kilts and cloaks, respectively. The Vice-Chancellor on formal occasions assumes the cappa clausa cope as the Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge University still does.
Modern traditions include the Festival of Lessons and Carols in early December, an imitation of the traditional Christmas service in Cambridge. Also, local mythology regarding angels is abundant; residents of the Domain tap the roofs of their cars as they pass through the stone gates in order to "get their angel" for protection in their travels. Numerous other traditions continue to flourish on the Mountain, many adapted to fit modern practices.
In recent years, some alumni and students have perceived that the school was trying to downplay the university's traditions, particularly its historical and cultural ties with Southern culture.[11][12] As a result, some traditions have come under special scrutiny.
One particular concern was the disappearance of a ceremonial baton, called a "mace," dedicated to Nathan Bedford Forrest and decorated with Confederate-themed marks and images. The mace has been controversial due to its association with Forrest and its implications for attitudes toward African-Americans. Forrest had no connection with the university;[11] the mace had been commissioned in 1964 by Louise Claiborne-Armstrong, whose brother attended the university, and made by San Francisco jewelry firm Shreve and Company using several of Claiborne-Armstrong's most precious jewels, notably a blue/white 4-carat (800 mg) diamond which sat in the center cross atop the mace. The rest of the mace consisted of solid silver except for the band, which was solid gold. It was officially donated to the University in 1965, and was carried by the Order of Gownsmen at academic processions until it "disappeared" in 1997. Religion professor Gerald L. Smith said he had accidentally broken the mace while viewing it for an alumnus, and history professor Samuel R. Williamson, who was then chief executive, said he had already commissioned a new one. Dr. Smith said a misunderstanding led to the mace's disappearance; he had asked the campus police chief to put it in a vault for safekeeping, but it was instead placed in the police station's gun vault, where it was found in early 2005. Upon its discovery, over 30 alumni offered to pay for the mace's repair but the University refused their offer.[11] The mace is now available for private viewing via the school's archives.
The University Hymn, written by Bishop Thomas Frank Gailor (1856–1935), is sung to the tune of Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (The Emperor's Hymn, known in English language hymnals as "Austria"), by Joseph Haydn.[15] The tune was previously used for the Austrian national anthem and a variation is used for Germany's national anthem.
God of Light, Whose face beholding,
Israel's Leader learned Thy Will,
Fire and storm the Rock enfolding,
Where the Voice was calm and still,
Give Thy Children on this Mountain
Grace and power Thy Truth to know;
Open here a living fountain,
Whence Thy Praise shall ever flow.
On the world now grows the Vision
Love of Country—Freedom's call;
Gage of Battle, Life's decision,
Faith will see the Christ through all.
Clearer, surer, rings the story,
"Christ our Brother—God Most High!
Through earth's vapors sweeps the glory,
Wrong, injustice, sin must die."
For the warfare train us, Father,
God of battles, God of might,
That no mists of Hell may gather,
Darken or obscure the right.
Gird our souls with Thy compassion,
Purge our minds with fire divine;
Light of Light, the Truth incarnate,
Make our lives and thoughts like Thine.
Alma Mater, written by Newton Middleton (Class of 1909)
Alma Mater, Sewanee
My Glorious Mother ever be.
I will give my All to Thee
God Bless Thee to Eternity.
Thou canst make me worth the while
O Guide and Shelter me.
And all my life, through Storm and Strife,
My Star Thou'lt be.
The School of Theology at the University of the South was founded in 1878. Originally it was known as "St. Luke's" because it was housed in St. Luke's Hall, which was given by Charlotte Morris Manigault to the University specifically for a School of Theology. This building hosted the first meeting of what would become the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists under the guidance of Dr. Arthur Ben Chitty, the Historiographer of the University.
Following the merger of the Sewanee Academy with St. Andrew's School, located a few miles from Sewanee, in 1981, the School of Theology moved to the former SA campus. Because this new location was a mile away from St. Luke's Chapel (west of the campus proper), seminarians worshiped in a converted classroom until a new chapel was constructed adjacent to the school in 2000.[16]
The School of Theology is one of the eleven seminaries officially connected with the Episcopal Church. Further, it is the only one located within the Southeastern U.S. proper, the only other Southern seminaries being located at geographical fringes of the region, Virginia Theological Seminary near Washington, D.C. and the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Historically, its position within Anglicanism is generally considered to fall within the parameters of the High Church tradition, whereas Virginia was seen as the seminary in the Low Church tradition.
The Sewanee Tigers were pioneers in American intercollegiate athletics and possessed the South's preeminent football program in the 1890s. Their 1899 football team had perhaps the best season in college football history, winning all 12 of their games, 11 by shutout, and outscoring their opponents 322-10. Five of those wins, all shutouts, came in a six day period while on a 2,500-mile (4,000 km) trip by train. Ten of their twelve opponents, including all five of their road trip victims, remain major college football powers to this day.[17]
Sewanee was a charter member of the Southeastern Conference upon its formation in 1932, but by this time its athletic program had declined precipitously and Sewanee never won a conference football game in the eight years it was an SEC member. The Tigers were shut out 26 times in their 37 SEC games, and were outscored by a combined total of 1163–84.[17]
When vice chancellor Benjamin Ficklin Finney, who had reportedly objected to Sewanee joining the SEC, left his position in 1938, the leading candidate was Alexander Guerry, a former president of the University of Chattanooga. According to a university historian, Guerry agreed to come to Sewanee only if the school stopped awarding athletic scholarships. In 1940, two years after Guerry's arrival, Sewanee withdrew from the SEC and subsequently deemphasized varsity athletics. Guerry's stance is sometimes credited as an early step toward the 1973 creation of NCAA Division III, which prohibits athletic scholarships.[17]
Today, Sewanee is a member of the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), offering 11 varsity sports for men and 13 for women. As of 2009[update], 27 Sewanee student-athletes have received the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for academic excellence since the program's inception in 1964.
Sewanee announced that they, along with six other SCAC members, would leave the conference effective July 1, 2012 to form the new Southern Athletic Association beginning with the 2012-13 season. The announcement was made in Atlanta at the 2011 annual meeting of SCAC presidents.[18]
Sewanee has over 12,000 alumni from all 50 states and 40 countries and has produced 26 Rhodes Scholars—a number that puts Sewanee in the top four nationally among American liberal arts colleges—as well as 26 NCAA Postgraduate Fellows, 36 Watson Fellowships, and dozens of Fulbright Scholars. The School of Theology's alumni include countless bishops, including three of the last five presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church.[4]
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