GREENEVILLE – Civic engagement was front and center at Tusculum University as students, faculty and staff headed into the community and to a few spots on campus to perform service work in honor of one of the institution’s earliest benefactors.
Tusculum students work in the clothing area of Opportunity House Thrift Store.
Tusculum celebrated Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day Friday, Sept. 29, by addressing a variety of needs at churches, camps, government buildings, schools, medical facilities and community agencies. This event, affectionately called Nettie Day, is a tradition at the university that alumni and others fondly recall from their days at Tusculum.
This year, Nettie Day took on additional meaning because 2023 marked the 100th anniversary of McCormick’s death. Tusculum established McCormick Day as a university holiday in 1913, and it has evolved over the years to become service-oriented. Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, highlighted the importance of service in his remarks at Friday’s Nettie Day celebration and tied it into the university’s mission.
“Our mission says Tusculum delivers an active and experiential education,” Dr. Hummel told students. “Nettie Day is part of your education. Your outstanding education at Tusculum happens not just in a classroom but also outside of the classroom. Our mission also talks about providing a caring Christian environment. Nettie Day is a component of our caring Christian environment. It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to do it and tangibly help people. Service flows out naturally from our caring Christian environment.”
Dr. Hummel then highlighted that civic engagement is another key element of the mission.
Tusculum students clean inside Asbury United Methodist Church.
Dr. Scott Hummel speaks with students, faculty, staff and community members as Zeke, the university’s mascot stands by, at the start of Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day.
“There is an expectation that you will be even better citizens when you graduate than you are now,” he said. “You cannot inspire civic engagement without performing civic engagement. This is an important part of our tradition.”
Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg, a freshman, who is pursuing a major in environmental science, enjoyed her experience with Nettie Day. She performed service at Asbury United Methodist Church with fellow members of the women’s lacrosse team.
“We were able to be outside and complete some gardening, which I haven’t done since I got here,” she said. “That was nice. I’ve always enjoyed volunteering and giving back to the community. I have not done it this way before – with a church and with the team – which has been really cool.”
Other churches where Tusculum students, faculty and staff served were Calvary Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Notre Dame Catholic Church, Sanctuary Church, St. James Episcopal Church, Trinity United Methodist Church and Tusculum Baptist Church. First Presbyterian serves as Tusculum’s mother church. The Tusculum family also assisted at Northern Greene County Churches United in Love Ministry.
Tusculum students perform landscaping at the Meen Center on campus.
A Tusculum student, in the foreground, performs service work at Notre Dame Catholic Church.
Other locations were Doak Elementary School, Durham-Hensley Health & Rehab, Gifts for Kids, Montessori School, Morning Pointe of Greeneville, Opportunity House Thrift Store, Roby Adult Center and Rural Resources. Additional service opportunities took place with the East Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association and the Greeneville Greene County Public Library book sale.
Some students stayed on campus to complete projects at locations such as the Meen Center and the Paul E. Hayden Educational Wetland.
Joining Tusculum students, faculty and staff for Nettie Day were about 10 members from the Greeneville Noon Rotary Club.
“Rotary’s motto is service above self,” said David Varney, the club’s president. “We are constantly looking for community service involvement opportunities. The president of Tusculum is a member of our Rotary Club and the club meets at the university, so getting involved with Nettie Day was a natural thing.”
His hope is that students will continue to participate in community service when they graduate, whether they live in Greene County or elsewhere.
These are the students, faculty, staff and community members who participated in Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day.
Tusculum received more than $425,000 from McCormick. She made her first donation to Tusculum in 1885. Buildings she funded include McCormick Hall, Haynes Hall, Rankin Hall and Virginia Hall. Her involvement in Tusculum resulted from a conversation between some Tusculum graduates and her pastor.
“She began to learn about Tusculum, saw that our students were hard workers and were willing to sacrifice to get a great education and noticed the religious element of a Tusculum education,” Dr. Hummel shared with students. “The character exhibited by our student body got her engaged to support the university. We recognize her for not just giving but her engagement and her commitment to Christian education and Tusculum. Your experience here, the resources that you have here, over 100 years later are better because of her commitment to the university.”
To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.