When the last athletic camps and professional conferences depart in August and Furman prepares to welcome its undergraduates back to campus, the summer of 2000 will probably be remembered for its "firsts."

This is the first summer since 1981 that Furman has not hosted the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. The school now has its own facility in downtown Greenville.

The Furman Summer Scholars Program, designed to attract some of the top high school students in the state to the university, was inaugurated in June and July.

This summer marks the first time that Furman has hosted a conference with more than 1,000 participants. The Apostolic Lutheran Church’s convention July 5-9 drew 1,400.

This summer, Furman also lost a major conference for political reasons. The Baptist Peace Fellowship Conference, which would have attracted up to 300 participants, moved its summer conference to another location in November because of the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag. In May, the General Assembly voted to move the flag to a soldier’s memorial.

More than 7,000 campers, business people, high school students, educators and amateur athletes representing 72 groups came to campus during the nine-week period ending in mid-August. To compare, the university hosted about 6,796 people and 56 groups during the same period last year.

New buildings, such as North Village and the University Center, along with our state-of-the-art computer labs are helping Furman attract more professional conventions and programs, which require upscale accommodations and meeting spaces.

Even with such facilities Furman does not have the accommodations to provide lodging for large numbers like the 1,400 attending the Apostolic Lutheran Church Annual Convention. About 800, many of them families, resided on campus during the week. Area hotels provided lodging for those not at Furman.

Marie Burgess, director of summer programs, says that many of the conference attendees came from Scandinavian countries where the Apostolic Lutheran Church is based. During the week McAlister Auditorium and the Charles Ezra Daniel Memorial Chapel hosted numerous worship services, which were often conducted by Finnish-speaking pastors.

The Furman Scholars Program, an academic enrichment program for rising high school juniors and seniors, attracts about 75 students to campus throughout the summer. Residing on campus, students expand their academic interests by enrolling in one of six one-week and two-week programs taught by Furman professors. Summer Scholars is designed as a recruitment effort and partly to fill a void left by the loss of the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Another noteworthy conference hosted by Furman is the American School Counselors Leadership Development Institute. The conference brings 150 of the top high school and middle school guidance counselors to campus. The Admissions Office hosts a reception at White Oaks to honor the counselors.