Spencer Hall
Spencer Hall both reflects and extends Sewanee’s distinguished tradition of science instruction and research, expanding the physical space dedicated to scientific study while also making possible new scholarly opportunities for faculty and students.
Adjacent and connected to Woods Laboratory, which has served the University since 1968, Spencer Hall offers 49,000 additional square feet of space for instruction, research, and study in chemistry, biology, biochemistry and environmental science. The building houses six teaching laboratories, four classrooms, and five research laboratories, along with 16 faculty offices, three reading rooms, and two conference rooms.
The completion of the building in 2008 comes at an opportune moment in the University’s development. The sciences faculty has more than doubled in number since Woods Lab opened, and its members are increasingly engaged in substantial, original scholarship. Their research, in turn, extends both the depth and breadth of their teaching, an increasingly collaborative enterprise that finds students learning in the field as well as the classroom, often by working side-by-side with faculty on research projects.
To that end, Spencer Hall is designed to foster a spirit of openness and cross-disciplinary work. From the soaring Harris Atrium to the interior glass walls open to laboratory space and reading rooms, the building offers “science in sight” that encourages the formal and informal exchange of ideas and promotes collaboration. The light-filled hallways and comfortable reading rooms are intended to draw students and faculty together outside the classroom.
A special feature of the building is the Darwin Garden, in a courtyard between Woods Lab and Spencer Hall. The garden celebrates Charles Darwin and the science of evolution, and features a sculpture of Darwin by Jeanie Stephenson, a biology major from the class of 1978.
The sustainable building practices and technology incorporated into Spencer Hall have expanded green space on campus, and are expected to earn it Sewanee’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This beautiful and advanced facility boasts improved indoor air quality, energy conservation and heat recovery technology, the use and re-use of local materials.
Schedule at a Glance
Monday, Oct. 6
- Honorary Degree Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Cravens Hall (by invitation only)
Tuesday, Oct. 7
- Dedication of the new Never-Failing Succession of Benefactors plaque, 11 a.m., Walsh-Ellett Hall (by invitation only)
- Founders’ Day Convocation, 12:30 p.m., All Saints’ Chapel
- Community celebration, approximately 2 p.m., Spencer Hall lawn
- Special presentations about key accomplishments of The Sewanee Call campaign, 3-5 p.m.
- The Sewanee Call gala celebration, 7 p.m., Robert Dobbs Fowler Center (by invitation only)
