GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University celebrated the Jeffers family’s generous donation to support the Dorm Refresh Campaign with a special ceremony Thursday, July 20, that sparked warm memories and enthusiasm about this initiative.
Members of the Jeffers family stand inside the study room with the plaque recognizing the donation. Left to right are Lyndall and Hugh Seaver, Sharon Jeffers Hill, Richard Jeffers, Justin Jeffers and Sharon Jeffers.
Justin Jeffers, a 2004 Tusculum graduate; his father, Richard Jeffers; and his aunt, Sharon Jeffers Hill, contributed $15,000 for a study room in the Charles Oliver Gray East residence hall. The donation is in honor of Justin Jeffers’ grandmother, Helen Gillespie Jeffers, a 1941 Tusculum graduate, and her sister, Louise Gillespie Seaver, a 1936 Tusculum graduate. The Jeffers family attended the ceremony and was able to see the beautifully decorated study room on the second floor.
“Multiple generations of the Jeffers family have come to Tusculum for their college education,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “We appreciate the trust the Jeffers family has placed in Tusculum and are grateful for the way this donation gave a nice start to the Dorm Refresh Campaign. The family is making a profound difference in the lives of our students.”
Dr. Hummel said the Jeffers Study Room is an important component of the campaign because the place where residential students likely spend the most time on homework, exam preparation and other class projects is in their dorm.
Edward Roberts, vice president of institutional advancement, highlighted the impact and love of the Jeffers family.
“We are glad you are here, and we are grateful for the impact that your family has provided and continues to provide not only for the life of this university but also for the students that we serve,” Roberts said. “In this room today, there’s a whole lot of love. Thank you.”
Edward Roberts, Tusculum’s vice president for institutional advancement, speaks at the event.
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, speaks during the ceremony.
Dom Donnelly, assistant athletic director for communications, recalled his longtime connection with Justin Jeffers that dates to Jeffers’ entry as a student and golf team member in 2000. Jeffers served as an assistant to Donnelly during his student days and then became a good friend after graduation. He said Jeffers often talks about all the ways Tusculum has helped him, but he said Jeffers has paid that back with interest as an alumnus.
“The Jeffers family has been so important to our community, not just with the ministry they provide to our community but also with the friendship and camaraderie,” Donnelly said. “They are good, civic-minded individuals.”
In addition to their gestures of financial support, the Jeffers family is well-known for its funeral and cremation service to the community.
Justin Jeffers expressed similar admiration for Donnelly before pivoting to remember two members of his family.
“Today is not about me or about us,” he said. “It’s about two little Gillespie girls from Afton. Because their father had a job with the Southern Railway during the Great Depression, he was able to send these two girls to Tusculum. Because of them, we’re here today. My grandfather was a people person. He was the one that everybody knew and loved. He was the personality. But without his wife behind him, we wouldn’t be able to give back the way we do today.”
Members of the Jeffers family unveil the plaque for the Jeffers Study Room
He said the family wanted to do something in his grandmother’s name. He noted how proud he was to be connected to her as fellow Tusculum alumni. He remembered that when she turned 100, Tusculum presented her with an afghan. He said that was the first afghan Tusculum had made with “University” on it after the transition from Tusculum College. That day was the happiest he had seen her in a number of years.
When family members chose to donate in support of the Dorm Refresh Campaign, they knew she did not like to be in the spotlight. They understood she would want to share it with her sister, Louise. He thanked the university for giving the family the opportunity to make the donation and honor these two women.
Tusculum has a goal of raising $110,000 through the campaign to pay for items such as new furniture, flooring and ceiling fans as well as fresh paint and enhanced lighting in the residence halls. The university has achieved about half of the goal.
Besides the study room, the university has already installed new flooring and a smart TV in the COG East lobby, where the Jeffers ceremony was held. Tusculum is seeking to have additional projects in the residence halls completed by the start of the fall semester in August.
Dr. Hummel highlighted the overall support the campaign has received. He said he looks forward to seeing the facial expressions of returning students when they walk into the residence halls that have been refreshed and observe the changes.
This is the plaque for the study room.
Dom Donnelly, Tusculum’s assistant athletic director for communications, shares his thoughts during the ceremony.
“I have been very pleased our alumni have rallied around this campaign to help our current students and those who will be Pioneers in the future,” he said. “The dorms are some of the most important places on campus in the lives of our students, especially those who reside here. This campaign will enable them to develop additional special memories and have other great Tusculum experiences. It also demonstrates how much alumni and others care about them.”
Anyone who is interested in supporting the campaign can donate by visiting www.tusculum.edu/giving. Donors can also mail a check, made payable to Tusculum University, to the Office of Institutional Advancement at P.O. Box 5040, Greeneville, TN, 37745. Please note that the check is for the Dorm Refresh Campaign.
Tusculum’s alumni are also holding a yard sale Saturday, July 22, at the Welcome Center on campus to support the campaign.
Additional information about the campaign is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/dorm-refresh/. Further detail about Tusculum’s residence halls is accessible at https://site.tusculum.edu/housing-2/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.