Cumberland University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.

History

Cumberland University Bulletin (1918) (14778838722)

1842-1861

The university was founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1842 and received its Tennessee state charter in 1843. In 1847 Cumberland Presbyterian church leaders added a

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

, the first in Tennessee and the first west of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, and in 1854 a school of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

was begun. The original building, designed by

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

William Strickland, housed schools of art, law and theology.

Civil War

The

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

nearly destroyed Cumberland University. University Hall was burned to the ground by Confederate forces under the command of General Joseph Wheeler. Cumberland alumni William E. Ward wrote on a ruined

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

phrase ''Ex Cineribus Resurgam'' (From the ashes I will arise). The university thereafter adopted the mythical

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

bird as its symbol. By 1866, just one year after the war's end, all departments were again operating in various locations in the town of Lebanon. Following the war, the university's faculty included former

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

general A. P. Stewart, who taught there during his post-Civil War

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

parole. Students included former

general George Washington Gordon.

1865-1930s

Cumberland University moved to its present campus location in 1892. Construction of Memorial Hall, designed by

William Crawford Smith William Crawford Smith (November 26, 1837 – February 5, 1899) was an American architect who served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and in the United States Army during the Philippine–American War. He designed ma ...

, was completed in 1896; it remains the tallest building on campus as of January 2022. The university fell on hard times during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, as did most small private colleges.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Cumberland University served as the headquarters for the

Tennessee Maneuver Area The Tennessee Maneuver Area was a training area in Middle Tennessee, comprising the following counties: Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Hickman, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Maury, Moore, Perry, Putnam, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdal ...

, a training area for the Second Army whose geography resembled that of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Over 850,000 soldiers participated in the seven training exercises conducted in the area.

Sale of the law school and junior college years

After World War II, Cumberland experienced several changes in sponsorship and programs. In 1946, the

Tennessee Baptist Convention The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (formerly Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention) is the Tennessee mission board that serves the statewide network of churches that comprise the Tennessee Baptist Convention. It maintains offices in ...

assumed control of the school, ending a century of operation by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. An attempt to merge Cumberland University and Tennessee School for Women during this period ultimately proved unsuccessful. In 1951, the Tennessee Baptist Convention closed the College of Arts and Sciences and operated only the School of Law. In 1956, the Board of Trust secured an amendment to the Charter and changed Cumberland to a private, independent corporation. The College of Arts and Sciences was reopened as a two-year

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

, known as Cumberland College of Tennessee. In 1962, the assets of the School of Law were transferred to Howard College, now known as

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

, in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

; the law school is now known as the

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

Reinstatement and growth as a university

The Board of Trust expanded the academic programs of the junior college in 1982, returning Cumberland to a four-year

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

institution. It resumed the old name of Cumberland University. Since then, Cumberland has expanded its academic program to include new majors and specialized student-learning opportunities.

Presidents

* Franceway Ranna Cossitt, 1842–1844 *Thomas C. Anderson, 1844–1866 * Benjamin Wilburn McDonnold, 1866–1873 *

Nathan Green Jr. Nathan Green Jr. (February 1827 – February 1919) was one of the founders and the first dean of Cumberland School of Law, then located in Lebanon, Tennessee. Early life Nathan Green Jr. was born in February 1827. He was the son of judge Nat ...

, 1873–1902 *David Earle Mitchell, 1902–1906 *

(Acting), 1906–1909 *Winstead Paine Bone, 1909–1914 *Samuel Andrew Coile, 1914–1916 *Homer Allin Hill (Acting), 1916–1917 *Edward Powell Childs, 1917–1920 *Andrew Blake Buchanan (Acting), 1920–1922 *John Royal Harris, 1922–1926 *Ernest Looney Stockton, 1926–1941 *

Laban Lacy Rice Dr. Laban Lacy Rice (October 14, 1870 – February 13, 1973) was an educator, author, and president of Cumberland University. He was an international authority on relativity. Early life He was born in Dixon, Kentucky, to Laban Marchbanks Rice ...

, 1941–1946 *Edwin Smith Preston, 1946–1950 *W. Edwin Richardson, 1950–1952 *Sam B. Gilreath, 1952–1956 *Charles B. Havens, 1956–1958 *Ernest Looney Stockton Jr., 1958–1983 *

Robert N. Clement Robert Nelson Clement (born September 23, 1943) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Tennessee, from 1988 until 2003, when he retired to run (unsucc ...

, 1983–1988 *M. Walker Buckalew, 1988–1991 *J. Thomas Mills, 1991–1992 *Ray C. Phillips, 1992–1995 *Clair Martin, 1995–2000 *Charlene Kozy, 2000–2004 *Harvill C. Eaton, 2004–2015 *Paul C. Stumb IV, 2015 – present

Cumberland School of Law

In 1847 Cumberland Presbyterian church leaders added the

, the first

in Tennessee and the first west of the

. For many years the law school was located in historic Caruthers Hall, named for Robert Looney Caruthers, a founder of Cumberland University. The trustees sold the School of Law and its assets in 1962 to what is now

. The

continues to operate there.

Community outreach

Cumberland University gives back to the local community in many ways. Cumberland has a

Circle K Circle K Stores, Inc. is a Canadian chain of convenience stores headquartered in Laval, Quebec, Canada. It is owned by the multinational company Couche-Tard. Founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in ...

club, which is affiliated with

Kiwanis International Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

. On February 13, 2010, Cumberland University hosted a conference basketball game, and donated half of its gate admissions to Sherry's Run, a non-profit organization created to benefit people with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. Also, the Cumberland University cycling team formed its own chapter of local non-profit organization Ride for Reading.

Greek life

The university has 3 sororities and 5 fraternities. The sororities include the Lambda Omicron chapter of

Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AOI ...

and the Delta Mu chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau as well as

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achie ...

(NPHC). The fraternities include the Theta Prime chapter of

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

, the Nu chapter of

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more tha ...

. There are 3 NPHC fraternities: Gamma Rho Gamma chapter of

Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...

, the Phi Delta Delta chapter of Omega Psi Phi and the Rho Rho Chapter of

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

Athletics

The Cumberland athletic teams are called the Phoenix (formerly known as the Bulldogs until 2016). The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The league is headquartered in Lou ...

(MSC) since the 2012–13 school year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1996–97 to 2001–02. The Phoenix previously competed in the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TranSouth or TSAC) from 2002–03 to 2011–12; and in the

Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference The Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC) was a former college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); which was predominantly for smaller, private colleges in Western and Midd ...

(TCAC) from 1986–87 to 1995–96. Cumberland competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and eSports.

Attempt to move to NCAA Division II

On August 7, 2013, Cumberland University was granted provisional membership into the

Great Midwest Athletic Conference The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and oper ...

(G-MAC) after a vote of league presidents, paving the way for the university to apply to the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) for admittance into Division II in February 2014. Cumberland's application to join Division II was denied in 2014. As of 2022, Cumberland hasn't yet re-applied to transition into NCAA Division II.

Nickname

On January 4, 2016, Cumberland University changed the sports nickname of its athletic program from "Bulldogs" to "Phoenix", stating that, "For more than 150 years, the Phoenix has personified the spirit of Cumberland University."

Football

Cumberland football began on October 26, 1894, with a 6–6 tie with Peabody and finished that first year with a 2–1–1 season record. The pinnacle of the early days of CU football was the 1903 season that began with a (6–0) win over Vanderbilt then a (0–6) loss to

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

and continued with a five-day road trip with victories over

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

(44–0) November 14, 1903,

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

(41–0) November 16, 1903, and

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

(28–0) November 18, 1903. Cumberland played a postseason game against Coach

John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...

's Clemson team on Thanksgiving Day that ended in an 11–11 tie and a record of 4–1–1. This gave Coach A.L. Phillips and Cumberland University the Championship of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The 1916 game against

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

is famous as the most lopsided loss in the history of college football, with Georgia Tech defeating Cumberland 222-0.

Baseball

Cumberland's baseball program won the

NAIA World Series The NAIA World Series (officially branded as the Avista NAIA World Series for sponsorship purposes from 2013) is a double-elimination tournament, held since 1957, to determine the baseball champion of the National Association of Intercollegiate At ...

following the 2004, 2010, and 2014 seasons; the 1995 and 2006 teams were runners-up in this event. From 1980 to 2021, Woody Hunt served as head coach of the Cumberland baseball program, compiling a 1,630-774-5 record. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was runner-up for the award four times. Hunt was inducted into the

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest amateur baseball coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. Now, the ABCA is composed of over 13,000 baseball coac ...

Hall of Fame (2013), the Boyle County (Kentucky) Sports Hall of Fame, the Cumberland University Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame (2007), and the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame (2009). The NAIA awarded Hunt the 2019 Robert E. "Ish" Smith Award, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame awarded him the Pat Summitt Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. Three Cumberland baseball players have played for MLB teams:

Jack Farmer Floyd Haskell "Jack" Farmer (July 14, 1892 – May 21, 1970) was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played for two seasons. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1916 and the Cleveland Indians in 1918. He attended Cumberland University ...

, Luis Martinez, and

Aaron Wilkerson Aaron Daniel Wilkerson (born May 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. After breaking two pitching record ...

Basketball

The women's basketball team finished as NAIA National Tournament Runner-Up in 2007 and made it to the semifinals in 2013. The men's basketball team earned trips to the NAIA National Tournament following the 2004, 2008, and 2009 seasons. On August 17, 2018, the university named the basketball court in Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena after

Cliff Ellis Robert Clifford Ellis (born December 5, 1945) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University. Going into the 2020–21 season, Coach Ellis's 800 NCAA Division I victories rank him 8th on the list ...

, who coached Cumberland to a 78-12 record from 1973 to 1975.

Soccer

The 2014 women's team reached the NAIA quarterfinals, and the 2017 team went undefeated in the regular season before losing in the

finals. The men's team won the 2017 Mid-South Conference Tournament.

Wrestling

The wrestling program has produced four individual champions: Keith Cupp (174 lbs.), 2005; Corey Bleaken (157 lbs.), 2011; and Jake Williams (149 lbs.), 2014 and 2015.

Other sports

Cumberland achieved a top-ten finish at the National Collegiate Cycling Association's National Championship. Cumberland achieved a National Tournament appearance for the No. 16-ranked Men's Tennis Team in 2022.

Notable alumni

Memorial hall cumberland university lebanon tennessee

Cumberland University alumni include a U.S. Secretary of State, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, dozens of members of Congress, prominent social activists, significant military figures, and notable contributors to business, humanities, education, and the arts.

Alma Mater Song Lyrics

"Hail, all hail to Cumberland, Sing her praises ever. To her mem'ry ever true, We'll forsake her never. Like the Phoenix from the ashes, She arose to live again. Ever glorious as before, Both today and ever more."

Media

Memorial Hall, the central building on campus, was featured in Taylor Swift's music video " Love Story."

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{Coord, 36.204, -86.299, type:edu_region:US-TN, display=title Private universities and colleges in Tennessee Liberal arts colleges in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1842 Lebanon, Tennessee Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Wilson County, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Wilson County, Tennessee 1842 establishments in Tennessee