Elizabeth Davis is Furman University’s 12th President. Under her leadership, the university has instituted The Furman Advantage, a distinctive vision for higher education that combines learning with immersive experiences outside the classroom, creating a personalized pathway that prepares students for lives of purpose, successful careers and community benefit.
Office of the President
Elizabeth Davis Bio
Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th President on July 1, 2014. Before coming to Furman, she spent 22 years at Baylor University in Texas, where she was a member of the accounting faculty and later held the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. Before beginning her higher education career, she spent three years as an auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. in New Orleans.
Innovation is Dr. Davis’s hallmark. Under her leadership, Furman introduced The Furman Advantage, a distinctive approach to higher education that combines classroom learning with immersive experiences, mentoring, reflection and career exploration to create personalized pathways to launch graduates into successful careers and lives of purpose. The Furman Advantage has received more than $75 million in support from The Duke Endowment since its launch in October 2016…
We see clearly the promise of setting Furman apart in higher education and preparing our students as never before to be agents of inspiration, leadership and change in the world.
President's Report
The President’s Report provides a detailed look into the university’s admissions, athletics, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, community impact, development, and its signature approach to education, The Furman Advantage.
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Furman in Action
We are always moving forward. Creating a culture of innovation, challenging our students and celebrating our graduates. At Furman University, we nurture engaged learning and reflection to make a profound impact on campus and in the world.
Read the 2024 report
Our Shared Promise
It is both our commitment and our potential. It is our expansive belief that each of us can do something that matters in the world. It is a culture that forms a consistent theme in the work happening across Furman University and in the profound contributions that our graduates make in the world.
Read the 2023 report
Pathways
Finding your life’s purpose – your true, authentic calling – does not happen alone. It takes a community, a feeling that you belong, the space and opportunity to explore, and the guidance of mentors who encourage deep reflection.
Read the 2022 report
Begin with Belonging
Now more than ever, how we treat each other and care for our communities must be guided and driven by our values.
Read the 2021 report
Resilient Together
The ability to bounce back, to weather stress and to be better for it – at Furman, resilience means all of these things.
Read the 2020 report
Reflecting on Our Calling
Reflection powers The Furman Advantage, and it drives the change, growth and understanding that our students experience in their four years at Furman.
Read the 2019 report
Communications
2025 Commencement Address
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Our deepest sympathies for the loss of Stasi Hester
It is with a heavy heart that we share the tragic news of the passing of Stasi Hester, a senior politics and international affairs major and data analytics minor from
A much-deserved rest
My hope for you this holiday season is that you discover your own source of peace and joy, in whatever form it takes. Remember our earth is turning, and soon
Inaugural Address
Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th President on July 1, 2014.
The President's Home
Constructed in 1957, White Oaks serves as home to the president and was bequeathed to Furman in 1992 by Homozel Mickel Daniel.
Presidential Appearance Request Form
Interested in having Elizabeth Davis, President of Furman University, appear at your event?
Staff
The President's staff supports her office and the Board of Trustees.