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A COVENANT BETWEEN HOLSTON PRESBYTERY, PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH (U.S.A.) AND TUSCULUM COLLEGE
- PURPOSE
The purpose of this covenant is to define the nature and scope of
the relationship mutually agreed to by Tusculum College and
Holston Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
- HISTORY OF THE RELATIONSHIP
Tusculum College was founded by the Presbyterian Church. A
Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Hezekiah Balch, established Greeneville
College, which was chartered on September 3, 1794. In 1818,
Tusculum Academy was established by another Princeton graduate
and Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Samuel Doak. In 1844, Tusculum
Academy became Tusculum College. In 1868, the two colleges consolidated
on the Tusculum campus under the name of Greeneville
and Tusculum College, and, in 1912, the name was officially changed
to Tusculum College.
Throughout the over two hundred years of its existence, Tusculum
College has had a continuing relationship with the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) and, in particular, with Presbyterian churches in the
region which is now known as Holston Presbytery.
- NATURE OF THE COLLEGE
Tusculum College takes seriously its heritage as a daughter of the
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Presbyterian Church. The liberal arts tradition with which the name,
Tusculum College, is uniquely associated was formulated by Cicero
at his academy in Tusculum, Italy, and brought to East Tennessee by
Samuel Doak by the way of the College in New Jersey (Princeton
University). The tradition emphasizes smallness of size and closeness
of faculty-student involvement, both within and without the classroom,
in order to cultivate citizenship, Christian character and
practical wisdom among members of the College community. That
tradition is very much in keeping with the heritage of the emphasis
on the formation of strong Christian character as an essential ingredient
of citizenship and practical wisdom. Tusculum College is
committed to strengthening its relationship with the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) so that the College can bring its services to the
Church, and the Churches can learn of and benefit from the distinctive
mission and education offered by Tusculum College.
In the curriculum of Tusculum College and through opportunities
for worship and service, the College’s Presbyterian heritage will be
highlighted. Specific examples are included in the section on "Responsibilities
Under the Covenant." The College wants religious
studies to occupy a central place in the general studies curriculum,
the "Commons," in order for students to study the religious and
biblical heritage of the country in the context of larger issues of
humankind. Tusculum desires its heritage as a Presbyterian college
to be woven throughout all that the College does, not just through a
prescribed set of courses that every student is required to take.
Tusculum College seeks to instill in its graduates a sense of the world
in which they live and to develop skills to make sound decisions that
are based on the common good. In short, Tusculum wants to
graduate students who not only do well, but do good.
An important part of Tusculum College’s educational mission is to
recruit a fertile mix of students from different ethnic, national, racial,
cultural, religious, and geographical backgrounds. Learning from
fellow students resulting from such a campus-cultural mix is an
essential part of fostering an emphasis on practical wisdom. Active
discussion of different perspectives on life resulting from varied
cultural experiences enhances each student’s maturation and understanding
of the world culture in which they live. Such diversity of
student background should be actively used to enrich the educational
environment of the College.
- PARTIES TO THE COVENANT
The Parties of this covenant, Tusculum College of Greeneville,
Tennessee, operating under its governing board, the Board of Trustees,
and Holston Presbytery, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) operating as a
governing body, are separate entities. They are independent, neither
being controlled by the other. They are, however, interdependent in that
they must work together to accomplish their common purposes.
- RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE COVENANT
- Tusculum College affirms its commitment to:
- offer a program of quality education in the liberal arts and sciences
with the concept of the wholeness of life as interpreted by the
Christian faith;
- conduct an educational program in which a large majority of the
faculty are Christians, while insisting on freedom of inquiry for the
faculty and students;
- create a campus climate in which the Christian faith is reasonably
and persuasively presented without undue pressure for acceptance;
- maintain a Presbyterian campus minister and a set of course
offerings in religion;
- through the Commons courses in the Civic Arts curriculum and the
competency requirements for graduation, require religious studies of
all students;
- offer weekly opportunities for corporate worship for the entire
campus community;
- provide opportunities for the exploration of the relationship between
religion and other facets of life, while preparing students for
Christian service in all walks of life;
- establish standards of excellence and maintain accreditation by
appropriate academic associations and agencies;
- share in the development of professional and lay leadership for the
Church;
- serve as a host for church governing bodies, congregations, and
their agencies, providing leadership and facilities for conferences,
retreats, workshops, and training sessions for Church groups and
offer services to the Church such as supply ministers and special
programs of music and drama;
- provide opportunities for continuing education for Presbyterian
ministers;
- to refer to its Presbyterian heritage in all of its literature;
- use college educational resources to enrich the churches (such as
Theologian-In-Residence program);
- effectively recruit persons of racial and ethnic diversity to serve on
the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and support staff as
well as in the student body;
- demonstrate active concern for social justice and human mercy among
the entire campus community, fostering a keen spirit of volunteerism;
- maintain Christian governance and leadership by maintaining the
practice that a large majority of trustees and administrators be
Christians;
- make every effort to insure that the President of Tusculum College
be a Presbyterian;
- Hosltson Psresbytery affirms its commitment to:
- undergird the College spiritually by praying for its trustees, admin-
istrators, faculty, students, and friends;
- promote understanding of the educational opportunities offered at
the College through Presbytery publications and communications;
- promote attendance at the College by encouraging youth in the
Presbytery to consider enrolling as students;
- offer a source of ministers and laity as speakers for regularly
scheduled chapel services, retreats, and conferences at the College;
- encourage churches in the Presbytery to consider holding some of
their conferences, retreats, meetings, and training events in the
College facilities periodically;
- encourage individuals and congregations within the bounds of the
Presbytery to provide financial support to the College;
- provide financial support for the College by regular benevolent
giving in accordance with an objective funding formula developed
by the Presbytery’s Institutions Committee;
- provide annually for the receiving of a report from the College, with
such details as may prove useful for purposes of promotion and
funding support;
- publish a two-page Annual Report of the College in the Minutes of
Presbytery.
- MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
- Board of Trustees of Tusculum College
Realizing the importance of its relationship with the Presbyterian
Church, the Board of Trustees of Tusculum College commits itself to:
- maintain a standing committee of the Board of Trustees on church
relations. The Committee has as its primary responsibility the continuing
review and development of the College’s relationship with
the Church;
- ensure that at least one member of each of the three classes of
trustees of Tusculum College would be a Presbyterian from within
Holston Presbytery elected by the Presbytery. The Trusteeship Committee
of the College would provide qualified candidates to the
Nominating Committee of Holston Presbytery for election by the
Presbytery;
- maintain a Council on Church Relations composed of equal members
of ministers and laypeople. The Council on Church Relations
would have as its primary responsibility strengthening the relationship
between the College and the Church.
- Disposition of Property
If Tusculum College should ever cease to operate as an institution
of higher learning, the Board of Trustees, in accordance with the
Charter of the College, will determine the disposition of property.
- Accountability and Communication
Both parties agree to provide regular and formal channels of
communication to ensure accountability and to address issues of
mutual interest and concern.
- Tusculum will provide Presbytery with a report of the campus
ministry program and activities of the College in its Annual Report to
Presbytery and other significant documents.
- The Presbytery will provide Tusculum with copies of its Minutes of
Presbytery meetings and other significant documents.
- The Presbytery through its Institutions Committee and the College
through the Sub-Committee on Church Relations of its Board of
Trustees will review the covenant annually, beginning in 1995.
- The text of this covenant shall be printed in the Minutes of Holston
Presbytery, and references made to it in appropriate publications of
the Presbytery which highlight its institutions and agencies.
- This Covenant between Holston Presbytery, Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) and Tusculum College shall be summarized in the Tusculum
catalog and made available to members of the administration, faculty,
staff, and to other constituencies as deemed appropriate.
- The President of the College shall be responsible for seeing that all
provisions of this covenant regarding the institution’s responsibilities
are presented to the Board of Trustees.
- The Stated Clerk of Holston Presbytery, Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) shall be responsible for seeing that all provisions of this
covenant regarding the Church’s responsibilities are fulfilled.
- The College shall inform the Presbytery of its other formal or
informal covenant relationships with other governing bodies or
church bodies. It is understood, however, that no provision of such
covenants will be in conflict with the provisions of this covenant.
Currently, the College has a covenant with the Synod of Living
Waters, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of East
Tennessee, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
- Review and Amendment of the Covenant
- A comprehensive review of this Covenant shall be reviewed every
five years by a team composed of the Presbytery’s Institutions
Committee and the Sub-Committee on Church Relations of the
College’s Board of Trustees. It is expected that the President of the
College will be present for such reviews.
- This Covenant may be amended or renewed by action of the Board
of Trustees of Tusculum College and Holston Presbytery, Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.).
- FORMAL APPROVAL
This Covenant shall be effective upon formal approval by the
Board of Trustees of Tusculum College and by Holston Presbytery,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), each meeting in regular session during
the 2003 year, and signed by the Moderator and Stated Clerk of the
Presbytery and by the Chairman and Secretary of the College’s Board
of Trustees.
This Covenant recognizes the possibility that Tusculum College
may develop other covenant relationships with other governing
bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or with other church
bodies with which our denomination is in correspondence.
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