About Arcadia at Sewanee

Our Core Values

At Arcadia at Sewanee we believe:

1. In the University of the South’s motto: Ecce Quam Bonum (Behold how good it is when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity).

2. That the health of a community can be measured by how it meets the needs of its youngest and eldest members.

3. That aging is a part of the natural life cycle.  All residents and participants in Arcadia programs will be treated with dignity and inclusion.

4. That Sewanee is unique and Arcadia will at all times reflect the community of which it is a part.

Our History

University of the South alumni and Sewanee citizens have for many years longed for a strong retirement community on the domain. In 2012, the University initiated work to move this concept forward. Arcadia at Sewanee was established as a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation in 2015 with the mission to “serve older adults in a residential living community with services that: encourage active, healthy living; respect each individual's dignity, rights and independence; value ongoing educational, artistic and community service offerings; and offer opportunities for intergenerational relationships.”

Governed by a Board of Trustees currently composed of fourteen volunteer members, Arcadia has raised donations to cover costs associated with determining the feasibility of establishing a unique retirement community in Sewanee. Board members’ efforts to find investors and developers to build and manage a retirement facility have not yet borne fruit.

Following a lull during the height of the pandemic, the Board reinvigorated its efforts, resulting in a broader, two-pronged approach:

• In 2022, Arcadia at Sewanee’s Board facilitated the introduction of an aging-in-place program, LiveWell on the Mountain, to healthy independent residents in the Sewanee and Monteagle area. This program, an extension of Nashville’s Blakeford Senior Life Services, offers personalized care coordination, wellness programs, transportation to essential services, home care assistance, and, when necessary, priority access to Blakeford’s residential community. In conjunction with Folks at Home, a Sewanee non-profit, Arcadia will assist LiveWell on the Mountain to increase its local presence in 2023.

• The Board also launched an electronic survey with ProMatura, a leader in market research for all forms of senior housing to gauge the demand for a retirement facility in or near Sewanee. Launched in November 2022 and closing January 31, 2023, this survey has been disseminated to a variety of constituents. The results are expected to help determine the best location of a facility and the type of lodging and services desired by prospective community members.  ProMatura’s recommendations, expected in early spring 2023, will be evaluated with the expectation of engaging developers to submit proposals. The University has offered possible locations, and preliminary land studies are in process.

2023 will be a year of working with Folks at Home to establish LiveWell on the Mountain more fully and following up on the Promatura survey results to establish a continuing care retirement community on or near the University Domain.