Dear Sewanee Family,

Did you play mahjong? Take a line-dancing class? Tour the Tennessee Williams Center or Breslin Tower? Whatever activities you explored during Family Weekend 2026, I hope you enjoyed every moment. If you weren’t able to join us, fingers crossed we’ll see you on campus soon.

You can find photos from the celebration here. Also, check here for recaps of our athletic events. (Shout out to our women's soccer team for scoring a big victory against Millsaps on Senior Day!)

If you attended and wouldn't mind filling out this very short survey, I'd really appreciate it. Your input will help us make next year's event even better.

We especially loved bringing everyone together at the Vice-Chancellor's Welcome Address and opening ceremony on Friday! You'll find a recording here. For our students, I'm sure it brought back memories of Advent Semester Convocation, which was held on Sept. 18. You can read about Convocation here, watch a recording here, and find a photo album here.

Fall break is now right around the corner—Oct. 22–25. As a reminder, if your student needs a ride from the Mountain to Nashville International Airport, the Groome Shuttle is one option. It picks up and drops off at the Smoke House Lodge parking lot in Monteagle. 

For transportation between campus and the Smoke House Lodge, your student can use Sewanee’s fall break shuttle. The deadline for completing the sign-up form is Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 8 a.m. 

Sewanee often makes headlines in the fall, thanks to the Domain’s spectacular foliage. One of our latest shout-outs has nothing to do with colorful leaves, though. Did you see this video posted by The Princeton Review on LinkedIn? If you have a friend or family member whose child is considering Sewanee, please share!

As always, thanks for everything you do to make our community special. If your student is a freshman, sophomore, or junior, mark your calendar for next year's Family Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 8–10, 2027! You can find other important dates and details at parents.sewanee.edu.

Bess Turner, P’25, P’28, P’30
Director of Family & Donor Engagement

Since the start of 2026, Sewanee's Facilities Management team has coordinated multiple significant renovation projects, including upgrades to Hoffman, Hunter, Cleveland, Elliott, Johnson, and Tuckaway Halls. If your student lives in one of these buildings, you may have heard about new flooring and furniture, LED lighting, and updated appliances, among other improvements.

Thanks to gifts from Sewanee alumni and families, Elliott Hall's common area recenly received a major makeover. Residence hall renovations will continue in the months ahead.

If you’ve driven along University Avenue recently, you have likely noticed major construction work associated with the installation of pipes linking Sewanee’s central chiller to Hunter, Elliott, Tuckaway, and Cleveland Halls. Chilled water from the central system is used by air conditioning units in the residence halls to cool air circulating through the buildings. This technology will ultimately reduce utility costs and shrink Sewanee's carbon footprint.

Sewanee’s got talent—and now we have a high-quality space where students, faculty, staff, and community members can let their artistic abilities shine! Located in Guerry Hall, Shiverick Recording Studio is currently open for appointments. 

The studio features state-of-the-art mixing software, an editing bay with mixers, a drum kit, guitars, and upright piano, and much more.

Along with its high-tech equipment, the studio offers plenty of one-on-one support. It’s staffed by University students trained in instrument and vocal recording, audio mixing, and other relevant skills. Your student can book an appointment here.

University Health Services is warning students about cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid roughly 10 times stronger than fentanyl. It's been linked to more than 55 deaths nationally and over 41 deaths in East Tennessee since July 2025. 

Fentanyl test strips don't detect cychlorphine, and it's turning up in counterfeit pills and mixed into other drugs unknowingly.

Talk to your student about: only taking pharmacy-filled prescriptions, never using substances alone, and recognizing overdose signs. The University's Good Samaritan policy offers amnesty for students who call 911 during an emergency. UHS (931.598.1777) and CAPS (931.598.1325) are available for confidential support.

The Office of Economic Development continues to prioritize employee housing and the revitalization of the Sewanee Village. Construction is underway on a 48-unit employee apartment project set to open in the fall of 2027. Single-family homes and townhomes along the Mountain Goat and Perimeter Trails will also break ground soon, with completion expected in late 2027 and early 2028.

Beyond housing, the Village recently hosted students for TigerFest 2026, and a new community mural project will kick off this fall. Visit this website for more details on these and other initiatives.

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) aims to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to participate fully in the Sewanee experience. If your student needs accommodations of any sort—in the classroom, dining hall, residence hall, or another part of campus—support is available.

Students can apply for accommodations here or reach out to Student Accessibility Services Associate Director Diane Dekker for more information. Sewanee’s CARE Team is also a helpful resource.

As Sewanee greets a new season, the Office of Global Citizenship is looking ahead to new deadlines and opportunities.

The Sewanee Freeman Asia Fellowship application closes on Nov. 15. Students can receive up to $10,000 to support summer internships across Asia, and they do not need to secure an internship before applying.

Our summer 2027 faculty-led programs are also launching, with opportunities ranging from studying island ecology off the coast of Georgia to joining a Sewanee faculty member at the Prague Quadrennial, a popular theater festival.

For fall 2027 Sewanee Pledge semester programs, the first round of deadlines has passed, but spaces may still be available for Sewanee-in-France, Ecuador: Global Environmental Challenges, Study & Intern in NYC, and more. Have your student reach out to their study away advisor ASAP! 

Here’s a study away to-do list we’ve been sharing with families:

Easter Semester 2027: Work on visa applications, pre-departure forms, and orientation.
Summer 2027: Explore opportunities on our website.
Advent Semester 2027: Select a study away program.

Sewanee Athletics is always on the move, and our momentum has been especially strong in recent weeks. Not long ago, we inducted new members into the Sewanee Athletics Hall of Fame, and we enjoyed welcoming alumni and families to the Mountain for a memorable celebration.

The weekend included a thrilling Sewanee football victory against N.C. Wesleyan—the 500th win in our football program’s history.

Sewanee's upgraded athletic training room features new treatment tables and equipment, along with offices for sports medicine staff.

Our Tigers deserve top-notch facilities, and we’ve been excited to make significant progress on a wide range of renovation projects, including the construction of new athletic training and weight rooms, and the resurfacing of our swimming pool and tennis courts. Improvements to our softball stadium are underway, and new lighting will be installed on our softball and baseball fields by Thanksgiving.

One of the most important things we tell students is that their major is not their career. We encourage students to study what they love, then use their four years to build experience, relationships, and skills.

In today's changing workplace, recent NACE research shows employers increasingly seek critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving—skills central to a Sewanee liberal arts education.

Families can support students by remaining open and curious about their academic interests. Students don't have to figure it out alone; Career Readiness is here for the career discernment process including exploring possibilities and connecting interests with meaningful work.

Our goal isn't just preparing students for one job, but for a lifetime of evolving work. (See 15 years of Sewanee First Destinations by major here.)

The Student Post Office is always glad to help students and families stay in touch across the miles. Recently, we shared an important reminder with students: Please make sure your first and last name are included on every order and package delivered to campus.

Each semester, we receive a number of packages that include only a first name—or, in some cases, no name at all. When a package does not include the student’s full name, it can result in significant delivery delays. 

Before your student completes an online order, they should make sure their shipping information includes:

First Name + Last Name
735 University Avenue
Sewanee, TN  37383

This applies to orders from Amazon, as well as all other businesses and vendors shipping packages to campus.

Oct. 9 — Fridays at McGriff Happy Hour
Oct. 17 — Sewanee Club of Atlanta Social
Oct. 20 — Sewanee Club of Greenville Social
Oct. 21 — Sewanee Club of Columbia Happy Hour
Oct. 22 — Sewanee Club of Charleston Happy Hour
Oct. 22–25 — Fall Break
Oct. 27 — Sewanee Club of Jacksonville Social
Oct. 29 — Sewanee Club of Thomasville, Tallahassee, and South Georgia Social
Oct. 30 — Fridays at McGriff Happy Hour
Nov. 10 — Sewanee Club of St. Louis Happy Hour
Throughout the Advent Semester — Sewanee Athletics fall season
Throughout the Advent Semester — Campus organization meetings & activities

Find other key dates here, and view the academic calendar here.