Sewanee Launches a New First-Year Experience for All Students
Sept. 4, 2026
When the Class of 2030 and their families arrived in Sewanee for first-year move-in, many of Sewanee’s longstanding traditions awaited them. Before the first day of class, they would attend informational sessions to introduce them to life at the University, pose for a class photo, browse the Student Activities Fair on the Quad, and sign the Honor Code alongside their peers. But this year, there was something different about their first days on campus: For the first time, all new first-year participants would participate in the same early program, the First Year Experience (FYE).
Implemented for the first time in 2025 in a smaller pilot capacity, FYE this year welcomed all 474 new first-year students to participate in its programming, marking the first time in decades that all members of Sewanee’s newest class would share a common entry experience. “In recent years, new students had many different arrival dates and on-campus experiences before the start of formal orientation to life at the University,” says Betsy Sandlin, director of the First Year Experience. “In moving toward one program to welcome all new students, we’re able to give all members of the incoming class the chance to start engaging with the Domain and building community at the same time.”
Pictured above: Students taking a flight with the Sewanee Flying Tigers as part of "A Higher Calling," one of 10 FYE Explore tracks.
And while all new students participated in FYE, they had ample opportunity to chart their own, personalized course through the program’s three components: Explore, Encounter, and Embark. For Explore, students selected one of 10 two-day programs focused on exploration of the Domain, surrounding communities, and the University’s history. For Encounter, they enrolled in one of 27 semester-long, four-credit academic courses that began with a pre-semester immersive learning experience before the start of classes followed by regular class meetings during the semester. And for Embark, all students will take a section of the same semester-long, one-credit course to introduce them to resources and practices that will help them to succeed at Sewanee.
Taken together, the program’s three pillars support a truly comprehensive introduction to campus life. Pulling it off required broad engagement across the University community: 10 offices across campus directed Explore tracks; 15 faculty and staff members are facilitating the Embark courses; 27 faculty members are teaching Encounter courses; and three student co-directors and 60 undergraduate peer mentors were in place to guide new students through their first semester.
Pictured above: Participants in "Cemetery Lessons," an FYE Explore track hosted by The Roberson Project, at the University Cemetery.
“One of Sewanee’s greatest assets is the strength of our community,” says Sandlin. “FYE is able to include every new student because the entire campus community is involved in this shared effort.”
The pre-semester portion of FYE was just the beginning, as the Class of 2030 will continue to meet with their Encounter and Embark courses—and benefit from unique opportunities including field trips and other immersive experiences—through the rest of the semester. And while the program’s benefits will continue to accrue throughout the semester, its first chapter was already a remarkable success.
“This year’s FYE marked the first school opening in decades in which all of the first-year students arrived together to begin their Sewanee careers,” wrote University Provost Scott Wilson in a letter to campus on Sept. 2. “Walking around campus, it was gratifying to see large groups of students engaged together with faculty and staff before the formal start of the semester in a way that I have not seen before.”
Pictured above: The Sewanee Outing Program's PRE, which is now one of the FYE Explore tracks available to new students.
