Dear Sewanee Family,

Hope you're having a great April!

Here in University Relations, we’re still celebrating a successful Tiger Tuesday! On Sewanee’s biggest annual day of giving, you showed up and provided exceptional support to programs and activities across campus.

Many thanks to the 3,125 members of our community who helped us raise $4.81 million in gifts and pledges for the benefit of current and future students and seminarians—a new record!

Throughout the day, students shared notes of gratitude on our Sewanee Fund message board. Here’s one of many: “Thank you to the incredible donors who make it possible for me to have the best school experience! I love it so much here. Your efforts are appreciated!”

It’s now a short sprint to Commencement and the end of the fiscal year. If you’re seeking ways to honor a graduate, you might consider dedicating a special monetary gift here. You can also explore the giving opportunities detailed in our Memorial & Honor Opportunities brochure here.

We’re excited to move forward soon with a new philanthropic initiative—the Sewanee Women’s Alliance (SWA). This dynamic group will raise significant scholarship funds for all students, regardless of gender, while also offering mentorship support. You can read more about the SWA in this newsletter, and watch for an official launch announcement in June.

Your generosity continues to amaze and inspire us! Thanks for everything you do to help Sewanee thrive.

With best wishes for a wonderful spring,

Your friends in University Relations

It’s been more than 55 years since Sewanee first admitted women as full-time students, and the University is now preparing to launch a special initiative that will expand women’s roles in campus philanthropy. The Sewanee Women’s Alliance (SWA) will provide critical support to current and future generations of Sewanee students by contributing and raising scholarship funds and engaging in campuswide mentorship. 

While the SWA’s official kickoff is planned for June, its founding members have already increased Sewanee’s endowed scholarship funding by over $1.2 million. The group’s Executive Board and membership will be composed entirely of women, but everyone can support the SWA’s mission by providing a gift of $250 or more to the Halo Fund, which is also directed to scholarships.

In an interview with Philanthropy and Engagement, SWA Chair Sheryl Falk, C’89, and Treasurer Carol Shepherd Titus, C’81, outlined the group’s mission, activities, and membership process while reflecting on the value of scholarships and female leadership in their personal lives. 

Recently, several members of the Sewanee Women's Alliance Executive Board gathered on campus with Associate Vice President for Advancement Terri Griggs Williams, C'81, and Associate Dean for Career Readiness and Student Success Kim Heitzenrater, C'89, P'20, P'23.

The Rev. Alane Hart Osborne, T'24, is a diocesan resident at Trinity Episcopal Church in Troy, Ohio. On her first day at Trinity, she brought along her children's small stuffed lion.

The Rev. Alane Hart Osborne, T’24, says she can’t recall a time during her childhood when her family wasn’t actively involved in church services. In addition to serving as an acolyte and a reader at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky, she sang in the church choir starting at age 6, eventually becoming head chorister. Through her participation in the Royal School of Church Music program, Osborne says, she learned about church history and music theory—knowledge that served her well once she arrived at the School of Theology.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Louisville, Osborne worked as a music therapist for five years, then spent time as a stay-at-home parent, before enrolling in Sewanee’s seminary. She is now a diocesan resident, and the only full-time clergy member, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Troy, Ohio.

While navigating a busy schedule, Osborne makes time to give back to the School of Theology. Recently, she and her family established the seminary’s first Cornerstone Scholarship—need-based financial aid that will cover critical expenses for a seminarian over three years. Osborne says she’s grateful for the opportunity to potentially connect with her scholarship recipient. “Seminarians need to know that people are praying for them and care about them. It matters for our broader church.”

To learn more about funding a Cornerstone Scholarship at the School of Theology, contact the seminary’s director of development, the Rev. Casey Perkins, T’22, at caperkin@sewanee.edu.

BCG BrightHouse, a global creative consulting firm, is a longtime pro bono partner of the University and counts multiple Sewanee alumni among its staff. Pictured are (left to right) Managing Director Cathy Carlisi, C'89, P'25; Strategy Intern Sher Shah Mir, C'26; Senior Strategist Francesca George, C'23; and Senior Strategy Director Lee Schurlknight, C'14.

Here’s an assignment: Explain why Sewanee matters. Sounds simple enough, right? Try boiling your response down to a few, memorable sentences—and keep your message straightforward for people who may not have heard of the University, let alone set foot on campus. Even the most gung-ho alumni might feel slightly intimidated by this type of task, but Cathy Carlisi, C’89, P’25, and Lee Schurlknight, C’14, took it on with gusto. Moreover, they completed the work pro bono, as a service to their alma mater.

Carlisi and Schurlknight serve as managing director and senior strategy director, respectively, for BCG BrightHouse, a global creative consulting company headquartered in Atlanta, and in 2022 then-Acting Vice-Chancellor Nancy Berner enlisted their firm to translate the University’s purpose statement into a more succinct call to action. “[Berner] said Sewanee needed a way to condense its purpose into a single phrase with an accompanying story emphasizing the University’s institutional values,” Carlisi says, “In essence, Sewanee needed a rallying cry.”

After getting the go-ahead from BCG BrightHouse’s CEO Ashley Grice, Carlisi and Schurlknight worked with a committee of University faculty and staff to solicit feedback from the Sewanee community about the campus’s strengths and needs. “We talked to everybody—from students to people who work at McClurg to faculty,” Carlisi says. “It was really special to have deep conversations about the magic, uniqueness, and opportunities of a place I hold so dear,” Schurlknight adds. In 2023, they shared their findings with Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen, C’76, P’14, P’17, as he began the process of developing Sewanee’s strategic plan.

Among the themes that Carlisi and Schurlknight discovered were Sewanee’s strong focus on community and the University’s adeptness at forming leaders. They delivered their research to BCG BrightHouse’s team of writers, who crafted language that Sewanee has used in a variety of communications. One signature line they inspired: "The Mountain moves us so that we can move mountains."

“When we create statements of purpose, we devise aspirational, tight language that encapsulates why an organization or institution matters.” Carlisi says. “These statements have to be highly applicable, functional, useful, and meaningful to the people you’re working with.” BCG BrightHouse’s clients encompass a large slate of global corporations and nonprofits, including Mercedes-Benz, The North Face, United Way, and Delta Airlines.

As an undergraduate, Carlisi majored in fine arts and was awarded a Wilkins Scholarship. In 2019, she received the University’s prestigious EQB Award, given to outstanding alumni between their 15th and 35th reunion years. She credits Sewanee with equipping her to communicate and problem-solve in any setting, and she encourages other alumni to consider devoting their time and talents for the benefit of current and future students. “When you give back to Sewanee, you’re supporting a place that helps people lead in ways that improve life on a worldwide scale,” she says. “I feel like every time we take on pro bono work, it’s like a droplet that becomes a giant ripple.”

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