“I love paying it back and paying it forward at the same time.”
As a University trustee from the Diocese of Western North Carolina, the Rev. Rob Wood, C’89, is well-versed in Sewanee’s strategic plan and its major talking points. Along with the plan’s themes of mind, heart, and place, Wood informally ruminates on an additional facet of Sewanee’s influence: soul. Even (or maybe especially) as an undergraduate, the Mountain felt holy to him. From Sewanee angel guidance to meditations in All Saints’ Chapel or at the Sewanee Memorial Cross, Wood says his soul got “embraced, stretched, and nurtured” as he pursued his college studies.
Since 2016, Wood has served as rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, North Carolina, and recently he and his vestry stepped up significantly to support spiritual development on the Domain. In December 2025, the Church of the Good Shepherd established a Cornerstone Scholarship at the School of Theology—the seminary’s first Cornerstone created by a parish. At the School of Theology, these scholarships are a commitment of $5,000 per year for three years, and they help cover critical living and learning expenses for a seminarian.
Walker Adams, T’18, acting associate dean of admission and advancement for the School of Theology, hopes the Church of the Good Shepherd’s gift will start a trend. “The School of Theology is unique in our steadfast focus on forming seminarians for parish priesthood,” he says. “We’re grateful to Rob and the Church of the Good Shepherd for helping us develop clergy who will lead and serve in parishes just like theirs.”
Adams adds that Cornerstone Scholarships are especially needed as housing costs rise and the seminary’s resources are stretched. In 2025, the School of Theology welcomed 27 new seminarians but had to decline applications from 16 qualified postulants due to limited funding for financial aid.
Though Wood was directed by his bishop to pursue his Masters of Divinity at General Theological Seminary in New York City, he says Sewanee remains an integral part of his vocational journey. During his college search, he was drawn to the University, in part, by its Episcopal foundation. On campus, he majored in American Studies and participated in the University Choir, Sigma Nu, the canoe team, the Red Ribbon Society, and an organization then known as Sewanee Student Christian Fellowship. He was also a proctor and president of the Order of the Gown.
Wood says he enjoyed the flexibility of his major—along with history and literature classes, he took courses in political science, anthropology, botany, and dendrology. Former Professor of History Anita S. Goodstein, H’94, and the late Professor of English Tam Carlson, C’63, helped him navigate the major, which included a thesis on the Southern Agrarians. After graduating from the University, Wood taught 9th and 10th grade English at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, for four years before beginning his journey to the priesthood.
Close relationships with faculty were a throughline in Wood’s Sewanee experience, he says. Those bonds sustained him during a particularly difficult time in his junior year, when his sister was killed by a drunk driver. Following the tragedy, Wood’s constitutional law professor, current Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen, C’76, P’14, P’17, visited him in Canon Hall almost immediately to share sympathy and comfort. “I don’t know how many administrators or faculty members at other schools would’ve been the first at your door to offer support and express condolences,” Wood says.
In addition to his parish’s Sewanee partnership, Wood has given to Sewanee every year since his graduation—a philanthropic habit he sustains through a recurring monthly gift to the Sewanee Fund. Early in his time on the Mountain, he held a work-study position with Sewanee’s annual giving team, which included the responsibility of cold-calling alumni to encourage charitable support. “Most of my conversations were very enjoyable and positive,” he says. “I think in the midst of talking with people, I realized, ‘Hey, I can give a little bit, too.’”
Wood notes a parallel between Sewanee’s emphasis on critical thinking and the Episcopal Church’s enthusiasm for faith seeking understanding. “[As Episcopalians], we’re not asked to leave our minds or hearts at the door,” he says. By supporting the College and the School of Theology, Wood aims to create opportunities for holistic learning and growth that echo his own spiritual journey. “I love paying it back and paying it forward at the same time.”
