A much-deserved rest

Dear Furman Community,

What a year it’s been.

Every winter, as the semester winds down, campus seems to exhale. Students worry over their final papers, faculty anticipate a mountain of grading, and staff are fatigued, having put in significant effort to support students and university operations. Our beautiful campus has shed most of her colorful finery and pulled on a warm, grey overcoat. Everyone has earned a reprieve and a respite.

This fall semester will always be marked by Hurricane Helene’s violent interruption. She felled more than 600 trees on campus, caused classes to cancel for a week, and devastated Western North Carolina.

Many of us were shaken by the loss of two community members, dearly loved professor Savita Nair and student-athlete Bryce Stanfield. I attended memorials for each of them and was in awe of the show of love and support from their friends, colleagues, and teammates. They both left immense and lasting impressions on Furman, and they will be greatly missed.

While winter days are grey and uncertain, remember that spring was just a short while ago. We had much to celebrate. Among our alumni, Alex Stubb ’93 H’17 was elected president of Finland and Letitia Verdin ’93 was elected associate justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. Nationally acclaimed experts and authors visited campus for CLPs, shedding new light and perspectives on important topics. We dedicated the Trone Center for Mental Fitness, the Diamond F logo celebrated 50 years and faculty published papers and books, won awards and shepherded their students. Our Pathways Program won national awards for mentoring by faculty and staff. Roger Sneed in the religion department and Lori Alvin in math each won a Fulbright.

Our students’ successes were abundant and brilliant. Alex Threlkeld ’24 also won a Fulbright. Olivia Longsworth ’25 and Tilly Barker ’25 won Goldwaters. Morgan Locklear ’25 was named a Udall Scholar. Hundreds of students studied away, conducted research and worked internships. Applications from hopeful students grew by double digits.

Helene didn’t slow down our success in the fall. Melissa Fair in the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health worked with LiveWell Greenville to win a $5 million grant to study community health. Our performing arts students dazzled audiences, our athletes excited fans. Dylan Schubert ’25 finished third in the NCAA cross country national final. Students traveled to conferences and hosted two on campus: computer science and geography.

But Furman isn’t immune to some of the challenging issues facing higher education nationally. We are addressing them in the spirit of The Furman Advantage: by learning, reflecting, and improving. The hard work and dedication everyone brings to Furman is deeply valued and does not go unnoticed. Our university has existed for almost 200 years, and we will continue to innovate, improve, and thrive.

Some find comfort in the starkness of winter. I like the cyclical promise of seasons, the calmness and quiet in the chilled air. But, admittedly, I also look forward to spring, when the trees unfurl their leaves and our campus returns to its vibrant green.

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 her face will again tilt toward the sun, and the excitement of spring will bloom anew.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Davis

President