"For faculty, Sewanee is so much more than a job or a school. It's a hub and a home."
The way Stella Brannon, C’22, fell in love with Sewanee will sound familiar to many alumni—she toured the campus on a perfect, crisp October day and was quickly drawn to the entire liberal arts scene. At the time, Brannon aspired to become a veterinarian, and she looked forward to loading her class schedule with biology courses, but she was also excited to explore the University’s humanities offerings. When her acceptance letter arrived, she found she’d received the Quintard Scholarship, a prestigious, merit-based award. Everything was coming together.
Cue the Robert Burns line about “best-laid plans of mice and men” (in this case, mice and undergraduates). Brannon enjoyed a year and a half of normalcy on the Domain before the COVID-19 pandemic brought community life to a halt. In March 2020, the campus transitioned to virtual operations, and she returned to her parents’ home in Atlanta. She was joined by her brother, Hampton, C’22, who had transferred to Sewanee from UMass Amherst just a few months earlier. (Stella’s and Hampton’s sister, Maxine, is a graduate of Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.)
When Sewanee resumed in-person classes at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, Stella and Hampton returned to a changed environment—students and professors practiced social distancing, and off-campus experiential learning was out of the picture. “Sewanee hadn’t really bounced back,” Stella says. Above all, the Brannon siblings say they missed the warm, personal sense of connection with faculty that helps define the Sewanee experience. Inspired by the challenges of the pandemic—and a desire to ensure continued bondedness on the Domain—they recently collaborated with their parents, Camille and Wade Brannon, P’22, P’22, to create the Brannon Family Faculty Fund.
“Faculty support across all academic disciplines is a huge, ongoing fundraising priority,” says Director of Family & Donor Engagement Bess Turner, P’25, P’28, who worked with the Brannons to set up their endowment. While tuition helps defray some departmental expenses, Turner says, it covers less than 50% of the University’s operating budget. “When you hear about extraordinary student-faculty summer research projects, or students traveling across the country to give conference presentations with their professors, it’s important to know that those experiences are made possible by gifts from the Sewanee family.”
In choosing a direction for their family’s Sewanee philanthropy, Camille and Wade say they felt it was essential for Stella and Hampton to take the lead. “We believe it’s important that young people learn from an early age the importance of giving back when possible,” Camille says. “Stella and Hampton really thought a lot about where they’d like to see our resources go, so that Sewanee’s community and culture could be strengthened.”
Despite the pandemic’s hurdles, Stella and Hampton found unique joys during their time on the Mountain. Stella says she especially loved her classes with Professor of Anthropology Celeste Ray, whose research focuses on holy wells and other sacred bodies of water in Ireland. “You can tell she’s so passionate about what she teaches.” Hampton, who majored in history, enthuses about Nick B. Williams Professor of English Bill Engel: “He’s the man. He brought a sense of energy and excitement to reading texts like Machiavelli’s The Prince that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.”
Though muted at times, Sewanee’s social life persisted alongside COVID-19 safety mandates. Hampton played on the men’s lacrosse team, pledged the Phi Society, and lived in the Sportsman's House, a former theme house for students interested in wildlife and conservation. “Sportsman’s was a place where people from different fraternities could come together and bond over a love of the outdoors,” he says. “I’d love to see it come back.”
Stella joined Theta Pi and was heavily involved with Rotaract, a Rotary Club–sponsored service organization for young adults. “Our biggest event, while I was at Sewanee, was launching a charity golf tournament and participating in Relay for Life,” she says, “both of which involved Sewanee students, faculty, staff, and the community beyond the Domain. We were also able to meet with the Rotary Club, which introduced us to people in the community who are passionate about philanthropy, both locally and nationally.”
The Brannons haven’t limited their Sewanee giving to their endowed fund—Camille and Wade served on the Sewanee Parents’ Council for four years, and they’ve also hosted Sewanee Club of Atlanta receptions. Wade’s grandparents, Virginia and Robert Goodall, donated a collection of rare books to the William R. Laurie University Archives in 1972. “My grandfather didn’t go to Sewanee, but we have a lot of family members who are alumni,” Wade says, noting his grandparents were also heavily involved in the Episcopal Church and appreciated Sewanee’s affiliation.
These days, Stella and Hampton have moved on from the Domain, but they continue to hold Sewanee close. Though biology remained a focus for Stella throughout her undergraduate career, her professional goals shifted—she’s now pursuing a master’s degree in biomedical sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, with plans to enroll in dental school. Hampton lives in Nashville and works as a sales representative in title underwriting at First American, a financial services company. “Everywhere you look down here in the South, you see some connection to Sewanee,” he says.
With support from their endowment, the Brannons hope Sewanee faculty will experience the same growth and satisfaction in their professions that so many University graduates have found. “The student experience is so important,” Stella says, “but students leave Sewanee—they only stay for four or five years. It’s the faculty and staff who continue being part of the community.” A fulfilled and thriving Sewanee community, the Brannons emphasize, is their ultimate philanthropic goal. “For faculty, Sewanee is so much more than a job or a school,” Stella says. “It’s a hub and a home."
