Letter from the President: Meeting Need

Challenge is a core principle of higher learning. At Furman, that is something we take very seriously when building schedules, creating new majors and minors, hiring our faculty and staff and admitting some of the highest-achieving students in the nation.

We encourage students to challenge themselves through coursework, extracurricular activity, research, internships, study away and more. Faculty are challenged to engage students through innovative curriculum and a keen interest in their next steps. And as an institution, Furman must continue to challenge itself in providing the best education in an immersive climate of learning, growing and success.

An area that shouldn’t be a challenge for our students is being able to pay for this amazing education. No student should be forced to choose between attending college at the school of their choice and having the means to make that a reality. With this in mind, we are working on ways to bridge the funding gap for students that will provide financial flexibility for them and ensure a strong and sustainable future for our university.

We know that top students from our region and beyond hold Furman in high regard and want to come here. We also know that many of those students can’t even consider Furman because of their families’ financial situations. This is where Furman can step in and help clear a path for the students and their families. We know that students who have received such support from Furman in the past have gone on to have wildly successful careers and meaningful impact in their communities. We have hundreds of stories of such alumni.

A new initiative Furman is launching to meet financial need for our students is an ambitious one, but one that has the opportunity to make a major difference in the lives of our students and resonate for generations to come.

As we head down the final stretch of Clearly Furman, the Campaign for Our Third Century, we plan to focus the remainder of the campaign on raising support for endowed scholarships to provide deserving students the opportunity to start at Furman and finish with the confidence that they can begin the next phase unencumbered with college debt. Please be on the lookout as we share more in the coming months on this effort and how you can help us help future Paladins.

Alumni impact

This issue of Furman magazine highlights what can happen when we work together to make a difference. Look no further than the completed construction of Lakeview Hall in our South Housing Complex, or esteemed alumni who opened a local winery and will soon collaborate with Furman on a new, Furman-branded wine. We see impact in the everyday on campus through Furman’s Wesley Fellowship and in Greenville as Furman alumni fill every position in the City Attorney’s Office.

Each story demonstrates how Furman can change people and places for the better. It’s a tradition that has been a part of who we are for nearly 200 years and the kind of forward-thinking that comes with ambitious initiatives such as meeting financial need that will propel us well into our third century.