Now 232 years old, Tusculum University continues to make a profound difference in the lives of students who come from East Tennessee and around the world.
The university celebrated this special birthday Thursday, Sept. 3, during the Tusculum Family Reunion at lunch for faculty and staff members. As part of the festivities, they played a game of Tusculum and national trivia. Later that day, Dr. Peter Noll, professor of public history and museum studies, answered questions from community members and the Tusculum family. While they were present, participants enjoyed cake and were able to view photos from different eras in the university’s history.
At both events, people were able to view the charter for Greeneville College, a predecessor name for Tusculum. This document was signed Sept. 3, 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state. Greeneville College was the first chartered college in what becomes Tennessee.
“We are proud to have achieved this special milestone in Tusculum’s impressive and meaningful history,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “The foundation laid by the Rev. Hezekiah Balch and then the Rev. Samuel Doak and the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak continues to inspire us. As we have grown, we are proud to have helped so many students discover their purpose and become career-ready professionals with degrees that enhance their quality of life while contributing to our economy.”
Tusculum’s history
Greeneville College was created pursuant an act of the General Assembly of the Southwest Territory, together with the Legislative Council and the territory’s governor. “An act to establish a college in Greene County, in the Territory of the United States South of the Ohio” passed in Knoxville on Sept. 3, 1794. William Blount, the territory’s governor, was one of the act’s signers.
“The act created Greeneville College as a legal entity that had the authority to grant baccalaureate degrees,” Dr. Noll said. “I think it is useful to reflect on the past – why we were created and how we fit into broader society. It is important to understand how we are a continuation of that legacy and how we are doing the same basic thing in a modern world that is different from 1794.”
Twenty-four years after Greeneville College was chartered, the Rev. Samuel Doak and his son, the Rev. Samuel Witherspoon Doak, founded Tusculum Academy in 1818. The inspiration for the name of Tusculum can be traced through Samuel Doak and Balch’s alma mater, the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, to a small community near Rome called Tusculum. The estate of the president of that higher education institution in New Jersey was named Tusculum.
Tusculum Academy was rechartered as Tusculum College in 1844. Tusculum College merged with Greeneville College in 1868. The institution was known as Greeneville and Tusculum College before becoming Washington and Tusculum College and then Tusculum College. It was renamed Tusculum University in 2018. Throughout its history, Tusculum has been affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Tusculum’s motto is “Sit Lux” – “Let There Be Light.”
Tusculum is the first institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to admit women and the first in Tennessee to educate an African American, John Gloucester. The institution innovated in the 1980s and 1990s with a renewed commitment to civic engagement and a move to bring higher education within reach of working adults across the region. Tusculum has a historic district – which includes nine buildings and the Tusculum Arch – that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While he was serving as U.S. president, George Washington donated $100 to Greeneville College. In honor of that special achievement in the university’s history, Tusculum kicked off a fundraising campaign on Charter Day that will last through Sunday, Oct. 18, called “Give Like George Washington.”
People are invited to donate $100 or any other amount they would prefer by going to www.tusculum.edu, selecting “other” in the drop-down menu and specifying a donation to “Give Like George Washington.” Anyone with questions can email Tiffany Greer, vice president of institutional advancement, at [email protected].
Washington was not the only president who has given funds to Tusculum. President Andrew Johnson donated $20 to the construction of the Old College building, which houses many of his presidential papers.
A Balch descendant at Tusculum
One of the people who attended the Charter Day session with Dr. Noll was Shannon Minnick, a Greeneville resident who is originally from Memphis. She is the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Balch, founder and first president of Greeneville College. She learned of her relationship to Balch, who she descends from her dad’s side of the family, from her mother when Minnick moved to Greeneville.
“I thought that connection was very compelling,” Minnick said. “He was a major figure in education, and I enjoy learning about history and other subjects, so it didn’t really surprise me that I had a relative who was in the education field. It is quite an honor.”
Minnick said she began researching Balch before she moved to Greeneville five years ago. She is still engaged in the process of learning more about him and plans to come to the Old College building, the oldest academic building on campus, to review some of the documents about Balch and the university. She is a big proponent of knowing about one’s family. She is also a new member of the Greene County Genealogical Society and the Greene County Heritage Trust and has submitted an application to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.
She finds it fascinating Balch was able to start a university that has been able to survive the Civil War and the Great Depression and still thrives after 232 years. She said that is a testament to Balch’s personality and foresight.
Minnick has three daughters, and she has told them the story about Balch and the university. She brought two of them to Tusculum to show them the campus, and they also visited Harmony Cemetery and took photos at Balch’s grave. She loves what she has seen at Tusculum.
“It’s a beautiful campus that is steeped in history,” Minnick said. “There’s so much here. I’m very proud to be part of the family that kicked this off many years ago. To be part of it is just amazing to me.”
America 250/Tusculum 232
Charter Day was the first event in the university’s America 250/Tusculum 232 Celebration throughout the fall semester. The series of events are designed to highlight various aspects of American history, including those that occurred in East Tennessee, and Tusculum’s contributions to the nation’s success. People can review all Tusculum has planned for the fall by visiting <https://iasite.tusculum.edu/america-250-tusculum-232-events/>.
“We are thrilled to launch America 250/Tusculum 232 so the community to explore our nation’s impactful history and Tusculum’s connection to it,” said the Rev. E.J. Swatsell, chair of the committee organizing this celebration, who also serves as the university’s director of spiritual life and special projects. “This series of events will enrich people’s lives and demonstrate the importance Tusculum places on civic engagement. We encourage everyone to join us on our historic campus and share with us your stories about American history and Tusculum University.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
