Welcome
Dear Sewanee Parents,
Being a Sewanee Parent is a great experience. We are the parents of a Sewanee graduate (Mattie, C’05) and have two sons (Chad, C’08, and Brendt, C’09) here now. We can assure you that Sewanee is a place for students with a variety of interests and talents. Faculty, coaches and staff take a genuine interest in students and work to encourage their best efforts in whatever they undertake in the classroom, the laboratory, on the playing field, and in the myriad of opportunities Sewanee offers for involvement. Parents, too, can be involved in Sewanee in many ways. During your time as a Sewanee parent, you’ll look forward to being on campus and experiencing a bit of what your student does as an undergraduate.You will build relationships with your student’s friends, with other parents, and with faculty and staff. Your volunteer involvement is also welcome, especially in the areas of Admission, Career Services and fund-raising. The Sewanee Parents’ Council, an advisory group for the University, welcomes your input. We represent all Sewanee parents, and we welcome your comments and questions. We explore issues impacting students and families, and we provide parent feedback. We look forward to working with you and doing our part to support Sewanee’s mission to provide young people with a top-notch undergraduate education. Enjoy being a Sewanee parent. You won’t believe how quickly the four years will pass!
Sincerely,
Karen and Jerry de St. Paer
New York, NY
Co-Chairs, Sewanee Parents’ Council
As mentioned during Orientation, a new book "Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter," by George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, et al (Jossey-Bass, 2005) highlights many of Sewanee's great attributes.
July 10, 2007
Dear Parents of New Students in the College of Arts and Sciences:
It is a happy privilege for me to welcome you and your son or daughter to this remarkable community of teaching and learning. I hope that you, like the many before you, will find that Sewanee’s special mix of intense learning, lively traditions, and wonderful friendships will serve your son or daughter well, both now and throughout life.
The University aims to prepare its students for rewarding lives of high achievement and valuable service in the larger world. To that end, the Sewanee community provides a rich mix of challenge and support. Almost certainly this will entail both great joy and feelings of deep doubt. The greatest gift you can give is likely to be your personal encouragement and support, giving applause for the successes and reassurance when the going is tough.
This is a place full of opportunities for intellectual, personal, and spiritual growth, and the vast majority of those who enroll here thrive, but we recognize that this depends on many factors, some beyond our control. Although your relationship with your Sewanee son or daughter will certainly change throughout the undergraduate years, likely with healthy but somewhat startling increases in freedom and independence, your influence will continue to be profound.
We believe strongly that every student admitted has what it takes to do well here. We are committed to helping each of them excel. They will be treated as adults in preparation for citizenship and future leadership roles.
The goal of this website is to give you information that we believe parents will find useful. Remembering my own response to such publications in our daughters’ college years, I doubt if we can reasonably expect you to read every word carefully and immediately, but I do hope that you will read through the site to absorb the key points that will help you understand how the University works to serve its students. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact me or any other member of the University faculty or staff. You can reach me by phoning 931.598.1101 or through e-mail at vc@sewanee.edu.
Welcome to Sewanee. I look forward to our time together.
Sincerely yours,
Joel Cunningham
Vice Chancellor and President
