Welcome Back from President Davis

Dear Students,

Welcome back! I hope that you’ve had an enjoyable summer and are ready for another exciting fall semester. As we prepare for the new school year, I wanted to share a few updates with you, including important information about move-in.

Check-in

Remember, move-in for returning students is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday and Monday, Aug. 25-26. If you don’t know your housing assignment, please visit the Housing and Residence Life self-service portal via MyFurman. Housing and Residence Life is available to answer any questions at HousingandResidenceLife@furman.edu or 864-294-2092.

Reflecting on our Past

As I shared at the end of May, the Furman Board of Trustees unanimously approved a number of recommendations made by its Special Committee on Slavery and Justice, including creating a statue and day of celebration to honor the late Joseph Vaughn, the university’s first African-American Student. The statue will be placed in a prominent, comprehensive place of celebration and reflection on campus.

Among the other accepted recommendations, the board approved renaming James C. Furman Hall to Furman Hall to honor and celebrate the entire Furman family and all of the students, faculty, staff and alumni who have contributed to the university’s history.

Other approved recommendations include:

• Renaming the lakeside housing area the Clark Murphy Housing Complex in honor of Clark Murphy, an African-American who worked for decades as a groundskeeper at the Greenville Woman’s College, which later merged with Furman University.
• Naming the walkway area leading up to the Bell Tower the Abraham Sims Plaza in recognition of Abraham Sims and other enslaved persons who built and worked on Furman’s various campuses prior to the university moving to its current location.
• Honoring Lillian Brock-Flemming and Sarah Reese, Furman’s first female African-American students, in a comprehensive place of celebration and reflection on campus, and exploring naming programs related to their fields of study and connections to Furman and the Greenville community.

Several working groups have been formed to develop plans for implementing the recommendations, which are part of the original work by the Task Force on Slavery and Justice, a group of students, faculty, staff and alumni who produced the “Seeking Abraham” report in 2018. We will provide updates throughout the year on this important work. For more information, please visit the Task Force on Slavery and Justice website.

Gallup Partnership

As we reflect on our calling and look to the future, we will continue to do so with a laser focus on students and the student experience. Such focus works, research shows. In the national Furman-Gallup study launched nearly two years ago, Furman alumni across generations reported having had higher-than-national-average levels of the essential emotional and engaged learning experiences that make up Gallup’s “Big Six” indicators for well-lived lives.

Moreover, Furman alumni scored at least 14 points higher than the national average in each of the five indicators of well-being. On campus, our faculty and staff placed in the top 5% of the most engaged employees in higher education and the top 25% across all industries – both off the charts, according to Gallup. Why is this important? Because we know the number-one driver of student engagement is faculty and staff engagement.

The research is also showing us areas where we can improve – and we’re on it. We’re increasing our efforts to build affinity and to prove the value of a Furman degree. We’re also building an ecosystem of career support for students, with such discussions starting when students arrive at Furman and continuing through their four-year pathways.

Accolades

Furman continues to gain national attention for its efforts. The university was once again included in The Princeton Review’s college guide, “The Best 385 Colleges.” Among the featured lists in the guide, Furman ranked No. 3 for “Most Politically Active Students” and No. 12 in the category of “Most Accessible Professors.” Furman is regularly included in other Princeton Review guide lists each year, including “Best Value Colleges,” “Top Green Colleges” and “Best Schools for Making an Impact.”

In Forbes’ “25 Top Colleges and Universities in the South 2019, Ranked by Academics and Outcomes,” Furman ranked No. 21. The ranking noted Furman’s “growing national reputation” and praised the university for fostering “innovation on campus.”

The new U.S. News & World Report rankings come out Sept. 9. You may recall that last fall Furman moved up two spots to No. 51 in the national liberal arts colleges category and was once again listed among the nation’s “most innovative schools” and as a “top college pick” among high school guidance counselors. In addition, the magazine ranked Furman No. 39 for “best undergraduate teaching.”

New Administrators

As announced earlier this summer, Ken Peterson has been named Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. As the university’s chief academic officer, Dr. Peterson is responsible for the faculty and related administrative departments supporting all undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. Ken, who has been a key leader in developing and driving The Furman Advantage while serving previously as the Dean of Faculty, brings to his new position great passion, extensive knowledge and a deep understanding and appreciation for the challenges and opportunities facing our university. Suzy Summers, the James C. Self Professor of Business Administration, was appointed Interim Dean of Faculty.

Also this summer, we welcomed Jason Donnelly as our new Athletics Director. Jason previously served as the senior associate athletics director and executive director of athletics development at Villanova University, where he was a highly successful administrator and fundraiser. We look forward to the vision and energy he is already bringing to the university.

Please visit the Furman news site for more updates and features on the accomplishments of students as well as those of faculty, staff and alumni, all of whom are integral to delivering The Furman Advantage and, ultimately, to helping you graduate and achieve success.

Again, welcome back.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Davis
President