Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Dear Furman Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Ken Peterson, who has served as Dean of the Faculty since February 2017, has been named Furman’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Ken will begin his new duties as the university’s chief academic officer on August 1.

As you know, Ken has been a key leader in developing and driving The Furman Advantage, our promise to provide every student an exceptional education that prepares them for meaningful lives and careers. He brings to this position great passion, extensive knowledge and a deep understanding and appreciation for the challenges and opportunities facing our university.

Ken joined the Furman faculty in 1990 as a member of the Department of Economics and Business Administration, and served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Economics from 2004 to 2016. He has been a major contributor to the quality of the student experience at Furman, co-leading the team that is designing an integrated curricular and co-curricular pathway for students, which is at the heart of The Furman Advantage. Please see our news release for more information.

I am grateful to Connie Carson, Michael Jennings, Ross McClain, Caroline Mills, Joe Pollard and Marian Strobel for their service on the search committee and for the many excellent nominations we received. I want to again thank George Shields, who is returning to the Furman chemistry faculty on Aug. 1, for his service as Provost over the past three years.

We will appoint an interim dean of faculty in the coming weeks, and begin a search for the next dean in the fall.

Please join me in congratulating Ken Peterson on his new role at Furman.

Warmly,

Elizabeth