Report to President Elizabeth Davis

December 8, 2020

This Report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Black Life at Furman (the “Committee”) is prepared for President Elizabeth Davis of Furman University. President Davis established the Committee to aid her ongoing consideration of strategies and actions to address the wide range of issues emanating from the University’s commitments to anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. [See our early steps to address the report’s recommendations.]

As discussed in Part III, the establishment of a sense of belonging for the University’s Black students, faculty, staff and alumni is the overarching theme of this Report. The Committee views it as the fundamental imperative that should animate the University’s current and future actions to address the matters covered in this Report. The Committee is presenting six primary recommendations, five of which contain several recommended action steps (or targeted outcomes) to implement the primary recommendation. They are set forth in Part IV.

Parts I through III contain important background and contextual information for considering the recommendations in this Report.

Next Steps

Next Steps

Furman has started work on the report’s recommendations.

Response to the Black Alumni Petition

Response to the Black Alumni Petition

President Davis and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Michael Jennings responded to the Petition in a joint statement.