A Guide to Cumberland University: Lebanon TN's College

Cumberland University is one of the oldest private universities in Tennessee — founded in 1842 — and it sits on a compact, walkable campus immediately adjacent to Lebanon's Public Square. For a city of 44,000 residents, having a functioning private university in the heart of downtown is unusual, and the university has meaningfully shaped Lebanon's civic identity across nearly two centuries. Memorial Hall's clock tower is Lebanon's tallest landmark — visible from Interstate 40 — and the 44-acre campus sits a five-minute walk from the Public Square. Whether you're visiting Lebanon for the first time, considering Cumberland as a prospective student or family, or evaluating a move to Wilson County with Cumberland as a local institution of interest, this guide covers what you should know.

Table of Contents

• Quick Facts
• Cumberland University at a Glance
• The Campus and Its Location
• Academic Programs
• Athletics (Cumberland Phoenix)
• Notable History
• Notable Alumni
• Visiting Cumberland
• Cumberland's Role in Lebanon and Wilson County
• Frequently Asked Questions
• A Local's Take

Quick Facts

• Type: Private four-year university
• Founded: 1842
• Location: 1 Cumberland Square, Lebanon, TN — adjacent to the Public Square
• Campus size: 44 acres
• Undergraduate enrollment: Approximately 2,093 (verify current figures at cumberland.edu)
• Athletics: NAIA, Mid-South Conference — Cumberland Phoenix
• Football stadium: Nokes-Lasater Field, 5,000-seat capacity
• Notable programs: Nursing, Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Pre-Law
• Website: cumberland.edu

Source: Cumberland University, cumberland.edu; Wikipedia; NAIA / Mid-South Conference. Retrieved 2026-04-18.

Cumberland University at a Glance

Cumberland University is a private, four-year university offering undergraduate and graduate programs. The university emphasizes a liberal-arts foundation combined with professional and career-focused programs — notably nursing, business, education, and legal studies (undergraduate pre-law; Cumberland's historic law school now operates at Samford University). Cumberland's proximity to the Lebanon Public Square gives the campus an unusual walkability for a Middle Tennessee college: students can walk from dorms and classrooms to downtown restaurants, Cedar City Brewing Company, the Capitol Theatre, and the Wilson County Courthouse.

The Campus and Its Location

The main Cumberland campus sits in downtown Lebanon at 1 Cumberland Square. Key campus features:

• Memorial Hall — cornerstone laid 1892; classes began September 1896. Designed by William Crawford Smith. Memorial Hall's clock tower is Lebanon's tallest landmark, visible from Interstate 40, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
• Baird Chapel — located inside Memorial Hall. Originally a chapel when built, converted to a gymnasium in 1900 because of difficult acoustics. Walter Jackson Baird's 1939 gift funded the space's redecoration with an Art Nouveau ceiling, portraits of figures important to Cumberland's history, and a stained-glass window depicting the Phoenix. Since 1939, Baird Chapel has served as a movie theater, university and community assembly space, and lecture hall.
• Nokes-Lasater Field — 5,000-seat football capacity, plus facilities for baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, and track.
• Residential housing — on-campus dorms and student housing.

The campus is compact and walkable — a 44-acre footprint.

Academic Programs

Cumberland offers undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple schools and colleges:

• Nursing and Health Professions — a strong regional program feeding graduates into Middle Tennessee healthcare systems (Vanderbilt, TriStar, Ascension Saint Thomas)
• Business — undergraduate business majors plus the Cumberland MBA
• Education — College of Education that partners with Wilson County Schools and Lebanon Special School District on teacher preparation
• Liberal Arts and Humanities — English, history, political science, humanities
• Pre-Law and Legal Studies — undergraduate pre-law track
• Sciences and Pre-Health — biology, chemistry, and pre-professional health tracks
• Music and Fine Arts
• Criminal Justice and public-service programs
• Graduate programs — MBA, education master's, and others

For the full, current list of programs and degrees, consult cumberland.edu directly.

Athletics (Cumberland Phoenix)

Cumberland's athletic teams compete as the Cumberland Phoenix at the NAIA level in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). Men's and women's sports include football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, cross country, tennis, and volleyball.

Nokes-Lasater Field serves as the home of Cumberland football with a 5,000-seat capacity. Cumberland began playing football at the current Nokes-Lasater Field in fall 2012. The Phoenix Foundation recently upgraded the Football Complex with new artificial turf, a jumbotron scoreboard, new play clocks, and sidewalks.

Cumberland football games at Nokes-Lasater Field are part of Lebanon's fall civic rhythm — the campus's proximity to downtown makes it easy to catch a game and then walk to the Public Square for dinner or a stop at the Capitol Theatre.

Notable History

• Founded 1842 — one of the older universities in Tennessee.
• Memorial Hall cornerstone laid 1892, classes began 1896, designed by William Crawford Smith, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
• Cumberland School of Law — Cumberland operated a major law school for over a century. The law program is now part of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Cumberland continues to offer undergraduate pre-law and legal-studies coursework in Lebanon today.
• Historic football game (1916) — Cumberland's football team holds the record for the most lopsided loss in college football history: Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0.

Notable Alumni

• Cordell Hull — U.S. Secretary of State under Franklin D. Roosevelt; 1945 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (for his role in establishing the United Nations)
• Albert Gore, Sr. — U.S. senator from Tennessee
• Howell Edmunds Jackson and Horace Harmon Lurton — U.S. Supreme Court justices
• Frank G. Clement — former Governor of Tennessee
• Myles Falls Horton — co-founder of the Highlander Folk School, which played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement
• Over 80 congressmen across the university's history

Visiting Cumberland

Prospective students:

• Campus tours through the admissions office at cumberland.edu/visit
• Preview days and visit events for high school students and families
• Virtual tours available

General visitors:

• Walk-through campus access generally welcomed during normal hours
• Athletic events (football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer) open to the public with ticket purchase
• Commencement and major events typically open to the public

What to combine with a Cumberland visit:

• Walk the Public Square — five minutes away; see Shopping in Lebanon and Downtown Lebanon Dining
• Capitol Theatre — adjacent historic theater; see The Capitol Theatre guide
• Cedar City Brewing Company — Wilson County's first commercial brewery, also on the Public Square

Cumberland's Role in Lebanon and Wilson County

• Employer — Cumberland is one of Lebanon's larger employers
• Cultural programming — music performances, lectures, theater productions, and athletic events add to Lebanon's cultural calendar year-round
• Teacher training partnership — Cumberland's College of Education partners with Wilson County Schools and Lebanon Special School District
• Real estate adjacency — Cumberland's presence supports the Lebanon Public Square's year-round activity level and contributes to downtown Lebanon's stable residential and commercial market
• Civic identity — the Memorial Hall clock tower as a visible-from-I-40 landmark literally defines Lebanon's skyline

For buyers considering Lebanon, the Cumberland campus is part of what makes downtown Lebanon function as a legitimate small city. See Living in Lebanon for the broader residential picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cumberland University? Cumberland University is a private, four-year university founded in 1842, located on a 44-acre campus adjacent to Lebanon, Tennessee's Public Square. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs across nursing, business, education, liberal arts, and other fields, with approximately 2,093 undergraduate students.

What NCAA or NAIA division is Cumberland University in? Cumberland University competes in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) in the Mid-South Conference as the Cumberland Phoenix — not NCAA.

Does Cumberland have a law school? Not currently in Lebanon. The historic Cumberland School of Law relocated and is now part of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Cumberland University in Lebanon offers undergraduate pre-law and legal studies but is not a law school today.

What's Cumberland University's signature campus building? Memorial Hall — the cornerstone was laid in 1892, classes began there in 1896, and the clock tower is Lebanon's tallest landmark (visible from I-40). Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Who are some notable Cumberland University alumni? Cordell Hull (U.S. Secretary of State, 1945 Nobel Peace Prize), Albert Gore Sr. (U.S. senator), U.S. Supreme Court Justices Howell Edmunds Jackson and Horace Harmon Lurton, and thirteen governors including Tennessee's Frank G. Clement.

What's Cumberland University's notable football history? Cumberland holds the record for the most lopsided loss in college football history — a 1916 game against Georgia Tech that ended 222–0.

A Local's Take

Cumberland University is one of the reasons Lebanon works as a town rather than just a county seat. Having a functioning private university adjacent to the Public Square means the square has year-round activity — students walking to class, faculty grabbing coffee, parents visiting for homecoming, alumni coming back for reunions, football Saturdays that spill into Public Square restaurants. Most Middle Tennessee small cities don't have that.

For Wilson County buyers considering Lebanon, Cumberland is a practical asset even if no one in your household attends or works there. The university supports Lebanon's cultural calendar, helps anchor the Public Square's commercial vitality, and adds the college-town element that makes Lebanon feel different from Mt. Juliet or Watertown. Football Saturdays at Nokes-Lasater Field connect the campus to the broader city in a way you feel walking around downtown on a fall weekend.

If you're in Lebanon and haven't walked the Cumberland campus, do it on a Saturday morning. The walk from the Public Square to campus takes five minutes, and the campus itself is open, contained, and a good way to understand why Lebanon has the civic identity it does. Look up at Memorial Hall's clock tower while you're there — that's Lebanon's skyline, and it has been since 1896.

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Written by Jacob Armbrester, Real Estate Broker with Compass. Published 2026-04-18. Last updated 2026-04-18.