Use of Campus Facilities
The buildings and grounds of Cumberland University are designed for and dedicated to enhancing the educational and recreational mission of the institution. The assignment of classroom, laboratory, and library space is the responsibility of the Vice President for Administration and the President. The educational needs of the University are the primary determining factors in the use of the buildings and grounds. Individuals and/or groups wishing to use University facilities for meetings and activities must first secure the approval of the Associate Vice President for Strategic Affairs in the Office of the President. The University reserves the right to refuse the rental of institutional facilities and to charge a fee for facility use. Special housekeeping, maintenance, and/or security needs must be addressed when making the request for the use of the facilities.
Campus Facilities
Art and Band Center Annex
This building, located at the Phoenix Plaza at the corner of Leeville Pike and South Maple, was added in January 2009. The leased building is approximately 7,000 square feet and is part of the Fine Arts programs’ extended studies studio space. The facility houses painting, sculpture, drawing, design, ceramics, fusing glass, and art education classes. The band room houses the school marching and jazz bands and is utilized for individual and group lessons.
Baird Chapel
Baird Chapel features an elegant Art Nouveau ceiling, and a beautiful stained-glass window depicting the symbol of the phoenix. Located on the west end of the first floor of Memorial Hall, this former gymnasium was renovated in the 1930s by Walter Jackson Baird in memory of his wife, Ethel Bouton Baird. In the past, Baird Chapel has been used as a movie theatre and as a University and community assembly and lecture hall. Recent renovations that feature the room’s elegance and depict the era in which it was constructed have made it a popular site for wedding receptions, community, and University social events.
Bone Hall
Bone Hall is a three-story brick building built in 1938 and houses administrative and faculty offices, classrooms, and conference rooms.
Dallas Floyd Recreation Center
The Center was constructed in 1991 and was made possible by a $1.5 million gift from J.D. and Ann Floyd and Billy and Jane Baxter in memory of Dallas Floyd, the father of J.D. Floyd and Jane Baxter. The 30,000 square-foot facility has a seating capacity of 1,950 and accommodates men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and physical education classes. The Recreation Center also contains offices for coaches and locker rooms.
June and Bill Heydel Fine Arts Center
The Center opened in Fall 1996 and was made possible by a generous gift from the Heydel family. The 8,900 square foot facility houses a 250-seat theatre/concert hall, dressing rooms, faculty offices, and the Edward E. and Gemma Gause Adams Gallery, which was made possible by a grant from The Thackston Family Foundation. The building houses a Steinway grand piano, as well as a Rogers organ, a gift of Dr. Virginia G. Lockmiller.
Benton Jennings Indoor Training Facility
The facility, constructed in 2002, is a modern 6,000 square foot building houses batting cages for baseball and softball, a weight room, and space for other sports programs to enhance athletic training.
Catron Alumni House
The Office of Advancement, which includes Development and Alumni Relations, is located in this on-campus facility facing Spring Street. In 1998, a gift from William Goodbar “Jit” and Blanche Paty Catron (both alumni of Cumberland University) converted this house from a residence into office, meeting, and reception space for alumni, faculty, staff, and student use.
C.U. Center for Professional Development
The center located at the Shiloh Plaza in Mt. Juliet presently holds classes on nights and weekends for the working student. The classes held there at present are associated with the Nursing Program. Plans in the near future will expand the offerings to other programs. The center is approximately 2500 square feet and is located near the Davidson County line.
C.U. Soccer Field
The Cumberland University soccer field directly behind the Commons 2 Residence Halls and meets all NAIA specifications for size. Located just off Leeville Pike, the well manicured field serves as the site for the Cumberland University men’s and women’s soccer teams home games.
C. U. Wrestling Building
The Cumberland University wrestling building broke ground for a 4800 square foot wrestling facility in 2006. The building was made possible by a generous donation from Ron Magruder, Group President of an Ontario-based company. In 1997, Magruder also helped the wrestling program get on its feet by buying mats and getting an endowment started at $100,000. The wrestling facility is a three phase project. The first phase of the project now complete includes a 60’x80’ multi-purpose facility located at 317 S. Greenwood in Lebanon. Designed for future expansion to 180’x80’x16’, the pre-engineered building system allows the wrestling team to have its own facility without having to share space with other sports programs.
Culinary Center
The Cumberland Culinary Center is located off Tennessee Boulevard in Lebanon, adjacent to the vocational center at Lebanon High School. The 2,400 square foot facility houses a commercial kitchen and storage space intended to serve area entrepreneurs and farmers as well as local students. The Cumberland Culinary Center will aid entrepreneurs in producing, promoting, and packaging their products with focus on locally grown and produced goods in conjunction with the “Pick Tennessee Products” initiative.
Doris and Harry Vise Library
Constructed in 1989, Vise Library serves the needs of Cumberland University’s students, faculty, and staff, plus provides limited access to its collection to the community. Vise Library contains an assortment of materials available for use by the students, faculty, and visitors. The collection consists of over 40,000 volumes, 300 print periodical titles, and access to 55 electronic databases, and a collection of over 35,000 e-books. Hundreds of sound recordings, musical scores, and videotapes are also available.
Kirk Field
The original playing field for Cumberland University was named in 1922 in honor of W.H. Kirkpatrick of Nashville, Tennessee. The reinstatement of football in 1990 necessitated the rebuilding of the playing field, and the name Kirk Field was retained. A 7,000 square foot field house occupies the north end of the area, near the South Tarver Avenue entrance to the campus. The field house contains the Athletic Training Center, locker rooms, and offices for faculty and coaching staff.
Labry Hall
Constructed in 2002, this 50,000 square foot facility contains 15 general purpose classrooms, a tiered lecture hall, four computer laboratories, the institutional career center, a specialized accounting laboratory/classroom, 17 faculty offices, an office suite for the Dean of the Labry School of Business and Technology, the Office of Informational Technology, a two-story atrium for use as both a study and social function area, as well as a student and faculty lounge. A portion of the building was once the Old Gymnasium built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The building was made possible by a gift from Mr. Edward A. Labry, III, Class of 1985, currently President for Retail and Alliance Services, First Data Corporation.
Lawlor Art Center
This red-brick, two story Tudor style house on McClain Avenue houses the Creative Writing & Media Center. The Lawlor House was a gift to the University from Virginia G. Lockmiller, a 1932 Cumberland University graduate, a former faculty member, and a member of the Board of Trust, in memory of her late husband, Richard Lawlor.
Lindsey Donnell Stadium
Built in 1991 for football and soccer, this 1,360-seat stadium was dedicated in 1992 in memory of one of Cumberland University’s greatest scholar-athletes, Lindsey Donnell, BA 1936. In 2011, the press box and bleachers were replaced.
McFarland Facility
During the Summer of 2004, University Medical Center (UMC) donated over 20,000 square feet of office space to Cumberland University for the Jeanette Rudy School of Nursing labs and classrooms. All nursing faculty offices, labs, and classrooms are currently located at the McFarland Campus.
Memorial Hall
Constructed from 1892 to 1896, Memorial Hall was completely modernized and renovated in 1965. In 1999, additional renovation of the first floor was completed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building is the focal point of the campus, and houses administrative, faculty and staff offices, classrooms, and Baird Chapel. The distinctive clock tower is Lebanon’s tallest landmark.
Mitchell Student Center
The Center was constructed in 1965. The top floor features a patio and contains Phillips Dining Hall, named in honor of Dr. Ray C. Phillips, the twenty-second President of Cumberland University, and Dr. Phyllis P. Phillips, Professor Emeritus of Speech; and the “K” Room, named for Professor J. D. Kirkpatrick who taught at Cumberland University from 1875 to 1895. The Phillips Dining Hall and the “K” Room went through a major renovation in the summer of 2010. The Phillips Dining Hall has an expanded menu with a very modern appearance. The “K” Room now houses a Papa Johns pizza and wings menu and a Mondos sub shop. The lower level contains mailroom, classrooms, security offices, and the student activities area.
Residence Halls
The University has five residence halls: Mary White Hall, Cumberland Commons I, Cumberland Commons II, Edward Potter Hall, and Justin Potter Hall. Mary White Hall, Edward Potter Hall, and Justin Potter Hall, constructed in the 1960s, house a maximum of 225 students, and offer traditional community living on campus. Each air-conditioned hall features single and double occupancy rooms, a lounge area, laundry facilities, and an apartment for head residents. The Cumberland University Commons I and II, constructed in 1997 and 1999, are a student housing complex offering apartment-style living for 192 students. Each two-story unit houses six students and features single rooms and shared living/study areas. One unit is designed to accommodate students with physical disabilities in each commons. All rooms in the residence halls are wired for telephone and cable TV plus have access to the University Internet and e-mail systems. A new hall is being constructed and will open in January 2012.
Rudy House
The original house was built in 1940 and was renovated and restored in 1988 by Dr. Jeanette C. Rudy, a member of the Board of Trust. The first floor was converted to a Wellness Center for students and staff. The second floor contains a living area for guests.
Softball Field
Constructed in the early 1990s, this facility contains a field house, a press box, and offices for the coaching staff. In the Summer of 2011 a 1200 square foot building was added to the complex.
Stockton Baseball Field and Woody Hunt Stadium
This modern facility incorporates the Ernest Stockton playing field, named in memory of Cumberland University’s 19th President; a field house; and a concession and press facility built in 1988. In 1998, the stadium was named in honor of Ronald G. “Woody” Hunt, Head Baseball Coach and former University Athletic Director.