Being a Sewanee student and having access to lots of opportunities on campus helped distinguish me among this firm's potential interns. Sewanee's Career and Leadership Development team was instrumental in helping me get this internship. Not only did they work on my resume with me, but they also helped me narrow down my fields of interest; marketing was one of these. While I found out about the internship through a contact from home, I know that I would not have this exciting summer plan without the University's support.

In addition to helping me apply for this internship, Sewanee is actually paying me for it! The internship was unpaid, and Sewanee offers students the opportunity to apply for support from a number of endowed funds that cover our students' living expenses while they pursue otherwise unpaid internships. During the application process for funding, I was able to network with Sewanee's executive director of marketing and communication, and he gave me some valuable advice about marketing and the importance of being in touch with individual clients' needs that I will definitely apply this summer.

I’m looking forward to learning and stretching myself in the coming months, and I know that being a Sewanee student will enable me to do this to the best of my ability!

Roshni Walia, C'14, is an economics major from Nairobi, Kenya.

Now, I find myself an alum, working in our recently created Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, promoting exciting and unique initiatives which set Sewanee apart from other schools across the nation.

Here are just a few of them:

1. Commitment to Carbon Neutrality.  Striving to be a national leader in sustainability, the University has committed to carbon neutrality by 2016, a feat that only four schools in the country have thus far achieved. Sewanee plans to complete this task through heavy investment in on-campus renewable energy systems such as solar panels and wind turbines, extensive energy conservation, and through carbon offsets with both our forested Domain and in places such as Haiti.
2. Research opportunities for students.  The University’s Sustainability Master Plan has 200+ sustainability goals which outlines literally hundreds of research projects for students, providing them with valuable real-world applications on topics ranging from food systems to renewable energy while also counting as academic credit.
3. Community engagement.  The Outreach and Sustainability Offices have partnered together to establish the Utility Conservation Program, an environmental outreach program led by students conducting energy audits and improvements on low-income homes in the surrounding community. Other projects include the Haiti-Sewanee Partnership for Carbon Sequestration, which partners Sewanee and Haitian students to study carbon cycle while also helping to reforest parts of Haiti.
4. Student groups and initiatives.  Originating with Sewanee’s first theme house, the Green House, and the Environmental Residents program roughly a decade ago, the number of environmental-related student groups has continued to grow and now includes groups such as EarthKeepers, the Green Convene, the Coalition for Responsible Investment, and the new theme house, the Sustainability House.
5. The University Farm.  This academic year, the University reestablished our farm. While it currently only has a ½ acre vegetable garden and a chicken coop full of baby chicks, Farm Manager, Gina Raicovich has plans to expand the garden the several acres as well as add goats and pigs. Cattle, which have since been consumed in the dining hall this past fall, will return to the farm this summer as well. The produce grown on the farm will be used in the dining hall.

These are but a few of the many exciting new initiatives Sewanee is implementing in regards to sustainability. For more up-to-date information about Sewanee sustainability, be sure to check out our blog at http://sewaneeoess.wordpress.com.

Daniel Church, C’11, is a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow of Sustainability, and is a special guest blogger for The Summit. Originally from Little Rock, AR, he graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Policy and plans to continue his education in City and Regional Planning and Urban Design at Berkeley in the fall.

Even after you check out the website and discover what an awesome opportunity Finding Your Place is, you may still wonder, “Why is Finding Your Place not a first-year program?”

Technically, it is a program for first-year students, and, therefore, “a first-year program.”

I still contend, however, that Finding Your Place isn’t a first-year program.

There’s a lot to learn when you’re a freshman at Sewanee, and you can feel it. When your English professor invites you into her office to discuss your Milton paper. When your sophomore friend mentions the “SPO” or the “SUT.” When that junior looks at you with amazement and asks, “You mean you’ve never been out to Piney Point?” With each instance comes a pang.

Sure, eventually, all freshmen “get it.” And they do so quicker at Sewanee than almost anywhere else. Why? Well, once confusion is realized, Sewanee faculty and students are more than happy to help you learn what you need to know.

There is a lot to know at Sewanee, though. Finding Your Place is an opportunity for first-year students to “get it” better and sooner by coming to campus early and building rapport with seven of Sewanee’s leading professors, learning the lingo from upperclassman mentors, and discovering places on Sewanee’s 13,000-acre Domain that no one should miss.

Finding Your Place will not transform you into a sophomore or a junior or a senior. That would mean that you wouldn’t get to spend four years on the Mountain, after all, and you wouldn’t want that. Finding Your Place, will, however, give you the experience and the skills to feel like an upperclassman. Finding Your Place will challenge you to raise your abilities and your expectations. It will put you on a level that some Sewanee students reach only after years of slow discovery.

Finding Your Place is not a first-year program. It is the upperclassman experience — the relationships, the familiarity, the knowledge — for freshmen.

1. Residential life (locally, ResLife).  Virtually all Sewanee students—first-year students and seniors alike—live in residence halls.  I’ve always liked that no two residence halls at Sewanee are the same.  One of them used to house Sewanee’s School of Theology.  One of the residence halls I lived in as a student used to be the Sewanee Inn.  Each one has its own good but distinct flavor.  As you might know, we’re currently building a new, yet-to-be-named residence hall right outside my office window.  
   
   The bricks and mortar, however, aren’t half of the ResLife story.  ResLife staff—our head residents, area coordinators, proctors, and assistant proctors—give great care to ensure that students’ residential space supports their academic and extracurricular pursuits.  They’ll spend the summer matching our enrolled students together in thoughtful roommate pairs…no random assignment here.
2. #NotFYP.  My colleague Josh King would not be happy with me if I shared too much about this…but it’s really hard for me to keep this under wraps for another week.  Please, look through the teasers we’ve released, and stay tuned for the April 15 unveiling of this exciting new adventure that will be available to many of our first-year students.
3. The Domain.  So much more than a simple campus…the domain is beautiful.  It’s also huge…13,000 acres.  That’s the size of 11,830 football fields.  The Domain is almost half the size of the District of Columbia.  You can (and should) hike all the way around Sewanee, but it’ll take you the better part of a day. 
   
   You can also canoe, cave, climb, cycle, and have a whole lot of fun in a space of that size.
4. Lifelong friendships.  One of the reasons it was tough for me to travel for Sewanee this week was because several of my friends came back for an informal reunion this past weekend.  Not a weekend goes by when there isn’t a group of Sewanee classmates who return to the Mountain together to catch up and have fun.  However, you’ll find as I have over the past few days that Sewanee is everywhere.  Wherever you go, you’ll find old friends, and you’ll make new acquaintances who are interested in you because you will have gone to Sewanee.  This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, though…after all, the Alumni Factor places Sewanee first among colleges and universities when it comes to social (and intellectual) development.
5. The Sewanee community.  All the time, I tell prospective students and their families that choosing Sewanee is more than picking a college—it’s joining a community.  On Saturday, Sewanee students, faculty, staff, and citizens all gathered around our Quad and in our dining hall for a day of fun.  By groups of students and their professors were barbecue creations entered into  a competitive cookoff; from Nashville were massive High Definition screens were brought in to air the Final Four games.  However, what really sets the Sewanee community apart is more intangible than festive food.  Where else could you go where the Vice-Chancellor—the president of the University—plays a spirited match of dodgeball with students?
   

On March 18, we talked to Philosophy Professor Jim Peterman about the new adventure that will challenge C’17-ers to explore outside the conventional college program. Find the full series of #NotFYP videos here.

Next up is Classics Professor Chris McDonough, who says he hopes that #NotFYP will help students ask the right questions of the places they find themselves in an increasingly "placeless" world.

Here’s #NotFYPMcDonough on the significance of being “out of place:”

"What do caves have to do with classics? Where would Odysseus go to college? Did the Romans ever conquer Sewanee?"

Want to know the answers to #NotFYPMcDonough's questions? Find them on Office of Admission Twitter and Facebook or on the Class of 2017 Facebook Group.

Interested, C’17-ers? Take note of the important details below:

• On April 15, Sewanee will release complete next steps required to participate, so stay tuned to our Office of Admission social media outlets and our website for updates.
• The adventure begins on Aug. 11. Participating C’17-ers should plan to arrive then. Parents should make plans to attend orientation. 
• You will be able to register for #NotFYP starting on May 1. You must have made your $500 deposit to register. Space is limited.
• When you come for #NotFYP, you will move into your yearlong dorm with your yearlong roommate.
• Fall athletes (football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey) will not be able to participate in #NotFYP because pre-season practice will occur at the same time.
• Cost of participation in this experience is included in the cost of attendance.
• Participating in the adventure will count as one of your four academic courses for Advent 2013 semester. You will register for your other three classes at orientation.
• Participants may also take part in pre-orientation (PRE).

We in the Admission Office have been filling the longer days with work as we build a class of 460 bright and enthusiastic new Sewanee students.  Our admission team has been traveling around the country meeting with our admitted students and their families, and each day, more and more students let us know that they will be joining our special academic community.  If you’re an admitted student—especially if you’re still “on the fence” about Sewanee—I want to tell you about one of my favorite events that we host each year.  Experience Sewanee is right around the corner.

If you’re an admitted student, we invite you to journey to the Mountain on April 14-15 for Experience Sewanee.  In the course of 24 hours, you’ll have a taste of all that Sewanee offers…

• You can take a tour if you haven’t before, on which you’ll see just some of the 13,000 acre Domain.
• If that’s not enough, you can see more of the Domain on a night hike.
• You’ll stay overnight in a residence hall with a current student as your host, because virtually all of our students live in residence halls all four years here.
• You’ll go to a class that aligns with your academic interests.
• You’ll eat phenomenal food in McClurg, our self-operated dining hall.
• You’ll hear about all that’s planned for your first-year experience here on the Mountain.

In short—you’ll experience Sewanee.  We hope you’ll join us.  Please register no later than April 9 so that we will be able to customize your time here to suit your wishes.

On March 8, Biology Professor Deb McGrath followed up on the first view of the new adventure that will challenge C’17-ers to explore outside the conventional college program.

Next up is Philosophy Professor Jim Peterman, who says that one can find meaning “all over the place” in Sewanee, especially when you consider the history of the area.

Here’s #NotFYPPeterman on undoing unsound divisions and #NotFYP:

Is Sewanee haunted? #NotFYPPeterman

Where have all the gentlemen gone? #NotFYPPeterman

In Sewanee, do fences make good neighbors? #NotFYPPeterman

Interested, C’17-ers? Take note of the important details below:

• On April 15, Sewanee will release complete next steps required to participate, so stay tuned to our Office of Admission social media outlets and our website for updates.
• The adventure begins on Aug. 11. Participating C’17-ers should plan to arrive then. Parents should make plans to attend orientation. 
• You will be able to register for #NotFYP starting on May 1. You must have made your $500 deposit to register. Space is limited.
• When you come for #NotFYP, you will move into your yearlong dorm with your yearlong roommate.
• Fall athletes (football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey) will not be able to participate in #NotFYP because pre-season practice will occur at the same time.
• Cost of participation in this experience is included in the cost of attendance.
• Participating in the adventure will count as one of your four academic courses for Advent 2013 semester. You will register for your other three classes at orientation.
• Participants may also take part in pre-orientation (PRE).

I think that you should:

1. VISIT SEWANEE – Experience Sewanee (April 14th – 15th) is a perfect time to visit before you make your final decision. Seeing Sewanee is the best way to understand what it is like as a student on our campus. CAN’T MAKE IT FOR EXPERIENCE? We also have morning and afternoon information sessions and tours Monday - Friday. You can also sit-in on a class or two, eat lunch with a current student, or even spend a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night in our residence halls. Schedule your visit today!
2. JOIN THE CLASS OF 2017 FACEBOOK GROUP – Tons of admitted students are talking about their visits to campus and getting to know others who will be joining us in the fall. We also have some current students answering questions on the page. JOIN THE CONVERSATION.
3. CALL/E-MAIL/SKYPE YOUR ADMISSION COUNSELOR – Let’s chat! We want to talk to you about your process and answer any questions you might have. We are patiently sitting by our phones, refreshing our e-mail inboxes and logging in and out of our Skype accounts to connect with you. Don’t be surprised if we give you a call to “see how things are going" (wink, wink)! Keep us in the loop – Contact your counselor.
4. SCROLL THROUGH OUR FLICKR PAGE – Sewanee is a wonderful place! See if you can insert yourself into any of the pictures from our basketball games, Perpetual Motion (P-Mo), 2012 New Student Orientation and PRE.
5. THINK ABOUT YOUR SEWANEE STORY – Sewanee students do some amazing things! A few of them have taken time to tell you about their experiences on the Mountain and off. WATCH THEM SHARE THEIR STORIES.
6. SEE THE LIGHT – Once you have watched this short time-lapse film by Sewanee alumnus (and National Geographic photographer) Stephen Alvarez that reveals just some of the beauty of the Domain of the University of the South, you will be SOLD – This Light Will Guide You…

I hope this helps! Good luck, and see you soon!

We’ve asked the group of leading professors who designed this revolutionary experience to talk about what they’ve dreamed up; Biology Professor Deb McGrath is the first to share some ideas with you.

Here’s #NotFYPMcGrath on the “lens of place,” making “deep connections,” and why this adventure for freshmen is not a first-year program:

Does a railroad bring people together or separate them? #NotFYPMcGrath

Appalachian maladies? Appalachian remedies? What's your favorite wildflower? #NotFYPMcGrath

How are all of these plastic bottles making us fat? #NotFYPMcGrath

Interested, C’17-ers? Take note of the important details below:

• On April 15, Sewanee will release complete next steps required to participate, so stay tuned to our Office of Admission social media outlets and our website for updates.
• The adventure begins on Aug. 11. Participating C’17-ers should plan to arrive then. Parents should plan to follow after and arrive for orientation. 
• You will be able to register for #NotFYP starting on May 1. You must have made your $500 deposit to register. Space is limited.
• When you come for #NotFYP, you will move into your yearlong dorm with your yearlong roommate.
• Fall athletes (football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey) will not be able to participate in #NotFYP because pre-season practice will occur at the same time.
• Cost of participation in this experience is included in the cost of attendance.
• Participating in the adventure will count as one of your four academic courses for Advent 2013 semester. You will register for your other three classes at orientation.
• Participants may also take part in pre-orientation (PRE).

Professors Craighill, McDonough, McGrath, Peterman, Potter, Smith, and Willis have created an innovative experience that will challenge C’17-ers and themselves to explore outside the conventional college program.

While we can’t share the whole story just yet, the Office of Admission has convinced the professors to provide us with a few glimpses inside their new experience. They’re creating tweets, Facebook posts, and videos that you’ll want to see, so make sure you join us on the Office of Admission Twitter and Facebook. If you've been admitted to the Class of 2017, find out more using the Class of 2017 Facebook Group.

Here are a few details we can give you now:

• C’17-ers will be the first students ever to have the chance to take on this challenge.
• The adventure begins on Aug. 11, so C’17-ers may need to be on the Mountain then.
• On April 15, we’ll release next steps required to participate, so stay tuned to our social media outlets and our website for updates.
• Cost of participation in this experience is included in the cost of attendance.
• Participants will receive academic credit.
• Participants will also be able to attend pre-orientation (PRE).

By participating in this academic, social, and community opportunity, C’17-ers will experience Sewanee in ways that were previously available only to upperclassmen. That’s why — while this is a new experience for freshmen — this is not a first-year program.

If you received a letter indicating that you were not selected for an academically-based scholarship, please know that this in no way is the “end of the road” in affording a Sewanee education.  Sewanee is committed to being an institutional leader in the nationwide discussion of affordability in higher education.  In 2011, Sewanee cut tuition by ten percent, taking a lead role in the conversation about making the cost of attendance a true representation of the cost of educating the student.  This commitment endures today.

Sewanee offers generous need-based financial aid.  This year, approximately half of Sewanee freshmen received need-based financial aid; the average aid package of a student demonstrating financial need was over $28,600.  Students and families interested in need-based aid ought to apply this month by completing the FAFSA (make sure to designate Sewanee as a recipient of your FAFSA information) and the Sewanee Financial Aid Application, as students who apply for need-based aid by March 1 receive priority consideration.

All Sewanee families benefit from a system of “tiered tuition,” in which tuition and fees remain at the same level for each of the four years of a student’s Sewanee experience.  This enables our students and families to plan into the future with the knowledge that their tuition expenses will remain consistent.  We know that the investment in higher education is a substantial one for all families, and we think this policy shows respect for our families and is just the right thing to do.

It didn’t surprise us that we were just named by the Princeton Review as one of America’s “75 Private Best Value Colleges”…check out USA Today’s coverage here.

Dean Afton-Backlund used quite a bit of purple ink as she signed each of our letters.

At “press time,” the University Mail Center staff (and postage meter) are hard at work.

Tomorrow, a lot of these “big envelopes” will leave the Mountain en route to happy recipients!

As we are an institution of the Episcopal Church, many of us here at Sewanee observe this season of Advent as a time of reflection—a time to slow down, a time to listen for how we might better live into our places in the world, and a time to express our gratitude for our many blessings.  We in the Admission Office are grateful for you…for our prospective students, who make our work so exciting and stimulating every day; for our guidance counselors, who help both us and our prospective students; and for all our friends and alumni, who “think Sewanee first” all the time (I’m also grateful for each of you who are taking the time to read this blog).

On the first Sunday of Advent, Sewanee celebrated for the 53rd time our annual Festival of Lessons and Carols.  I’d like to share with you a beautiful highlights video of this exciting December ritual.

On behalf of all of us at Sewanee, I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season.  We look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Sewanee’s Equestrian center is located just a few blocks from central campus and is widely considered one of the top facilities in the country.  Equestrian is one of our 24 varsity sports and our team consists of around 30 student riders.  The team’s riding style is Hunt Seat Equitation, which is in the English tradition.  We compete primarily against other Tennessee teams in our district, but over the past 10 years have had six top-10 national team finishes and 35 top-ten national individual riders including one national champion and five national reserve champions.

Our 35 University-owned horses live a good life in the fresh mountain air.  Students may apply to bring their own horse to Sewanee and, if approved, the University offers full room and board.  Team members try out to be on the team each fall and ride at least two hours per week during the equestrian PE class.

Come see for yourself what Sewanee’s Equestrian program has to offer!  Schedule a tour when you visit, or check out one of our shows this coming spring: Equestrian Show Schedule

Here’s an account from the University Archives:

On a dark night in June, a student was studying late and disturbing his roommates. They threw a pillow at his candle and “just at that moment—the student’s head rolled off. Simply that. The unlucky youth had studied too hard and over-weighted his brains with this dismal result. But that was not all. He might have picked his head up and replaced it without more ado had not the whirling thoughts within imparted a rotary motion that quickly carried it beyond his reach…the Head escaped downstairs—bump-bump-bump.”

While I have never experienced the presence of the Headless Gownsman, I can only imagine that his appearance—or even the mere telling of his appearance—might serve as a warning to those he visits. Practice good time management skills and don’t over do it—on your college applications or otherwise. Don’t let your head fall off!

The Headless Gowsman has been caught on camera, today. Find the video here.