Oglethorpe University has been awarded a grant for “Reframing the Institutional Saga,” supporting a campus-wide effort to re-examine the university’s history and evolving sense of purpose as it prepares for its 200th anniversary in 2035.
The grant was awarded to only 11 institutions nationwide by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) through the 2026 Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) initiative, made possible by the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc. Grants were awarded to colleges and universities committed to exploring how their institutional stories inform their present identity and future direction.
Oglethorpe has a rich and complex history. Over nearly two centuries, the institution has evolved from a rural Presbyterian university to a diverse and inclusive liberal arts institution in the heart of metropolitan Atlanta.
Through the NetVUE grant, Oglethorpe will undertake a comprehensive project to reframe that history through a contemporary and inclusive lens. The initiative will examine how the university’s story and vocation have evolved, whose voices have shaped that narrative, and how Oglethorpe can more fully articulate its purpose as it approaches its bicentennial.
“The grant team believes that investigating our past can help ready us for our present and future in ways that will further foster our mission statement’s goal of supporting students to become responsible and engaged global citizens,” says Judith Levy, Ph.D., senior lecturer and director of Core Studies.
The project will engage faculty, students, staff and alumni through a campus-wide historical re-examination over the next three years. Key components include the development of a new “Historical Perspective” course; faculty and staff discussions focused on dialogue and reflection; and the creation of enduring resources — a historical guidebook and a multimedia virtual tour of campus — grounded in peer-reviewed research.
The idea for creating the new Historical Perspectives elective course came from Levy’s Core 302 class. Students were required to tie the course’s historical readings to one primary source from Oglethorpe and a secondary source from the library databases.
“Many students looked at our campus buildings and plaques as primary sources and found inspiration in everything from Hearst Hall being named after Phoebe Hearst, to the pausing of building Hermance Stadium after Black Tuesday in 1929,” recalls Levy about the students in her course.
The Core electives course proposed will provide students with a space where their professors can help scaffold and support their research, ensuring high-quality student submissions.
By inviting many voices into the process, Oglethorpe aims to foster a deeper understanding of its heritage and a stronger sense of historical belonging for current and future community members. The university looks forward to sharing updates and outcomes as this important work unfolds.
