"Over the years, our family has received a lot of benefits from the University, and that's also a reason we feel compelled to give back—because Sewanee has been such a supportive place to work all these years."
of collections management
As Penny Elkins Cowan, P’09, P’12, sees it, she’s always been perfectly suited for a library career. “I’m a crazy cat person, and I love wearing cardigans,” she laughs. “I say that’s why I fit in as a librarian so well!” Joking aside, Cowan’s 40 years of service in Sewanee’s Jessie Ball duPont Library have been built on more than an affinity for fuzzy felines and cozy sweaters. Cowan, who is now director of collections management at duPont, says she chose her profession in second grade.
“Back in the ‘60s, my mom used to go to the beauty shop every week, and she would drop me and my sister off at the public library for that hour,” she says. “The children’s librarian there was the best person ever and knew that I was an avid reader.” Cowan says she received plenty of help selecting Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys adventures, and when she’d devoured everything in the children’s section, the librarian let her choose from the general stacks. “I read all of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series,” she says. “Mystery is my favorite genre.”
After earning a master’s degree in library and information science from Peabody at Vanderbilt University, Cowan worked as a librarian at the University of Tennessee at Martin for a year before she heard about a job opening at Sewanee. “At the time, David Kearley was the University librarian, and I knew him from my years at Vanderbilt,” she says, “but I was also drawn by the idea of educating students and helping them use library resources.”
Cowan notes that, through the decades, she has worked in every department at duPont except for University Archives. In her current role, she oversees the library’s circulation desk and interlibrary loan services, as well as acquisitions, cataloging, serials, government documents and electronic resources. Though she wears many hats, she says, “I love Sewanee’s atmosphere, and it has been great getting to know the students and faculty over the years. I can’t think of another place where I’d be happier.”
It's a bonus that Cowan’s husband, Mark, and younger son, A.C., C'12, are also employed by the University. For 26 years, Mark has worked on Sewanee’s grounds crew as part of the Facilities Management team. A.C. is lead faculty technology coordinator, with an office not far from Penny’s in duPont. Both of the Cowans’ sons—A.C. and Jared, C'09—graduated from Sewanee. “Mark and I actually tried to talk them into going somewhere else for college, just to get a little further away from home,” Penny says. “But both of them really were interested in staying here.”
Cowan says A.C. was eager to play tennis under John Shackelford, P’24, who coached the men’s tennis team for 33 seasons before transitioning to director of athletics. “Shack taught him how to play tennis when he was young,” Cowan recalls. Jared has autism spectrum disorder and was particularly fascinated by the study of religion as a teenager. “The University worked really well with Jared’s interests,” Cowan says, noting that Professors of Religious Studies Tam Parker and Larry Carden were especially helpful. Jared was a summer worker for several years at duPont Library and has continued his interest in libraries through his job at the Franklin County Public Library in Winchester.
Cowan’s early memories of Sewanee include a vivid recollection of how and why she began contributing to the Sewanee Fund. It all started, she says, with a presentation that Kim Heitzenrater, C’89, P’20, former director of annual giving, gave to Library staff. “She explained to us that it was important to be able to tell potential University donors that employees believe in Sewanee’s mission,” Cowan says. She adds that Heitzenrater, who is now Sewanee’s associate dean for integrated advising and career readiness, emphasized the value of strong faculty and staff participation in giving, regardless of the donation amount. “That made an impact,” Cowan says. Following Heitzenrater’s talk, Cowan set up a monthly payroll deduction in support of the University’s most pressing needs. Cowan’s philanthropy now adds up to nearly 30 consecutive years of giving— 339 monthly donations in all.
Whitney Franklin, executive director of the Sewanee Fund and advancement services, says that Cowan’s generosity illustrates one of the University’s greatest strengths: our close-knit, mutually supportive community. “Sewanee’s faculty and staff already go above and beyond in investing their time and talents for the benefit of our students,” Franklin says, “so, it’s really meaningful when they also provide financial resources to strengthen our campus. To me, employee giving is the true definition of EQB.” Cowan’s lifetime giving places her in Sewanee’s Fideles Society, which includes donors who have made a gift for 25+ years.
Given her experiences as a University employee, spouse, and parent, Cowan says she can easily see how Sewanee donors make a difference. She points to the many ways that duPont has been enhanced by financial gifts. “Our Ann Swanson Jackson Children’s Collection came into being because of a donor,” she says. “Ms. Jackson contributed support toward an endowed fund, and we use the interest from that fund to purchase children’s books.” Cowan adds that the Friends of Library at Sewanee, a membership group dedicated to enriching duPont as an intellectual, cultural, and social center, has been instrumental in a number of library improvements, including its film collection, outdoor book return receptacle, and comfortable leather furniture.
Cowan notes that she also cultivated appreciation of Sewanee’s donor community through her work with the late Tom Watson, H’94, who served as University librarian from 1976 to 1981 and from 1994 to 2004. Between those two tenures, he was Sewanee’s vice president of university relations. “Tom set a great example for all of the Library staff when he engaged Mr. Peck Carlton in becoming the donor for our first online library catalog,” Cowan says. “I learned so much from Tom about the importance of donors for the University as a whole and duPont in particular. We continue to honor Tom’s legacy with the Tom Watson Memorial Lecture each fall through the Friends of the Library.”
In 2017, philanthropy played a key role in enabling transformative upgrades to duPont’s Learning Commons, a section that offers state-of-the-art computer technology and Media-scape tables, plus multiple power outlets to accommodate users’ electronic devices. The renovation additionally incorporated updates to Sewanee’s wireless network infrastructure. Cowan says she would be thrilled to see further capital improvements at duPont. “The library is almost 60 years old,” she notes, “and it requires regular updates and maintenance. That’s where endowed funds can be so critical.”
Acquisitions is another area where Cowan observes the impact of altruism. “We have many very, very generous donors who have given endowed funds for acquisitions—the purchase of books and databases,” she says. “Twenty years ago, we weren’t budgeting for things like electronic databases, streaming videos, and online journals, and now those expenses are the largest item in our budget.”
Ultimately, all gifts to the library advance duPont’s goals of serving the Sewanee community, promoting critical thinking, and encouraging lifelong learning, Cowan says. She notes that the University’s Library and Information Technology Services (LITS) team recently finished developing a new strategic plan, which entailed “thinking a lot about our role as a division. It basically boils down to: What do the students, faculty, and staff need to support their work, their classrooms, and their research? We’re here to do that.”
In the spirit of fostering continual learning, Cowan says, “We also try to introduce the University community to new materials.” As an example, she highlights the book displays in duPont’s lobby. “In September, we featured Tennessee authors,” she says. “In the past, we’ve showcased everything from gay Christmas romances to African-American mystery protagonists. And then, we also feature alumni and faculty publications.”
With Sewanee community members of all ages and backgrounds passing through duPont’s doors every day, Cowan says, her job is never boring. In part, she sees her philanthropy as an investment in a career and place she loves. “Mark and I donate to things because we care about them. I care whether the library is successful,” she says. “Over the years, our family has received a lot of benefits from the University, and that’s also a reason we feel compelled to give back—because Sewanee has been such a supportive place to work for all these years.”
a hilltop fort in County Donegal, Ireland
In fact, the allure of working for the University may be almost too strong. Cowan says that Mark planned to retire earlier this year, and he asked her if they could splurge on a retirement trip. “In June we spent three glorious weeks in Ireland,” she says. “As we were returning home on the plane, Mark said, ‘Where are we going to go when I really retire?’ I told him, ‘No way! Just because you’re putting off retirement doesn’t mean you’re going to get a trip every year! I still don’t know when he’s going to retire, but he loves his job.”
