PURPOSE AND ASPIRATIONS
Founded by Baptists and grounded in Judeo-Christian values, Furman challenges
students, faculty and staff to grow both in knowledge and in faith. The university
values excellent teaching and close student-faculty relationships.
Small classes, individual instruction, empathetic advising and personal attention
promote active learning and cultivate intellectual curiosity.
The university encourages its students to engage ethical issues and to explore spiritual concerns. Furman manifests its respect for the ethical and spiritual dimensions of human experience in many ways. Within the curriculum, these dimensions are often integral to academic disciplines and form the basis for classroom discussions. Outside the classroom, the ethical and spiritual dimensions are expressed in the chapel that stands across from the library, an active chaplaincy and a program in church-related vocations, an array of vital student religious organizations, and a nationally recognized community service program.
Furman aspires to be a diverse community of women and men of different races, religions, geographic origins, socioeconomic backgrounds, personal characteristics and interests. This diversity reflects values the university hopes to embody: openness, honesty, tolerance and mutual respect, civic responsibility, global awareness and bold intellectual inquiry. These values foster a critical examination of inherited assumptions, even as they protect freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas.
In sum, Furman University aspires to be a diverse community of learning, harmonious in its differences, just and compassionate in its transactions, and steadfast in its commitment to an educational program of the highest quality. In recent years, Furman University has been evolving into a new type of liberal arts college that offers students more opportunities to learn by doing. While basing its curriculum in the humanities, arts and sciences, Furman offers courses in fields that are more professionally oriented: business administration, accounting, education, health and exercise science, and music performance. In addition, Furman emphasizes education outside the traditional classroom, providing opportunities for students to put into practice the theories and methods learned from texts or lectures. For example, Furman has become a national leader in undergrad-uate research and collaborative research projects involving students and professors.