Sewanee: The University Of The South

The University of the South, commonly known as Sewanee, is a private Episcopal liberal arts college located in Sewanee, Tennessee, atop 13,000 acres of the scenic Cumberland Plateau. Owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, Sewanee hous ern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, Sewanee houses both a robust undergraduate college and a theological seminary that serves as an official seminary of the church. The university was founded in 1857 by Episcopal bishops from ten southern states, including prominent Confederate figures like Bishop Leonidas Polk and Bishop James Otey, who sought to establish a Southern institution free from Northern influence. Sewanee’s origins are closely tied to the antebellum South, with land donated by the Sewanee Mining Company—an enterprise profiting from convict leasing—and financial backing from John Armfield, co-founder of the largest slave-trading firm in the U.S. Construction was halted by the Civil War and only resumed in 1866, which is sometimes referred to as the university's re-founding year. The school officially began operations in 1868 under the leadership of Charles Todd Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee and “Chaplain of the Confederacy,” who helped raise support in England for the institution. The campus retains fragments of its original cornerstone, destroyed by Union troops in 1863, including a portion installed in All Saints' Chapel. Initially aspiring to be a comprehensive university with schools of medicine, law, and engineering, Sewanee eventually narrowed its focus to the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Theology, later adding the School of Letters in 2006 offering graduate degrees in American Literature and Creative Writing. During WWII, Sewanee participated in the Navy's V-12 College Training Program, providing a path to military commissions. The university's history of Confederate associations and racial exclusion came under greater scrutiny in recent years, leading to a formal acknowledgment in 2020 of its historical entanglement with slavery, segregation, and white supremacy. The institution committed itself to a process of institutional reckoning, largely guided by the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation, launched in 2017. In modern times, Sewanee’s identity has occasionally been a point of debate. From 2004 to 2016, it adopted the branding “Sewanee: The University of the South” to reduce confusion and broaden appeal, especially among prospective students unfamiliar with the region. However, some alumni and commentators interpreted the change as an attempt to downplay its Southern identity. By 2016, the university reverted to using its formal name, The University of the South, in all official communications. Sewanee was also swept into public discourse in 2018 when it initially declined to rescind Charlie Rose’s honorary degree amid sexual misconduct allegations, only to reverse the decision following faculty and student protests. Today, Sewanee continues to reckon with its complex past while cultivating a strong liberal arts education rooted in its Episcopal heritage and Appalachian setting, balancing a commitment to tradition with ongoing efforts to address historical injustices and embrace a more inclusive identity. ...view more