Furman University President Elizabeth Davis Announces Plans to Conclude Presidency at End of 2026–27 Academic Year

Furman University President Elizabeth Davis announced today that the 2026–27 academic year will be her final year as the university’s 12th president, capping a presidency that has transformed the institution’s academic model, financial foundation, and national standing. Davis shared her decision with the Board of Trustees this past Saturday and notified the campus community in a message earlier this morning.

President Elizabeth Davis

The announcement comes as Furman celebrates its bicentennial year, with festivities continuing through Homecoming this October as the university enters its third century. Davis will continue to lead Furman through the upcoming academic year, providing continuity as the Board of Trustees conducts a national search for her successor.

In her message to the campus community, Davis described the role as “the opportunity of a lifetime” and reflected on what drew her to Furman from the start: the university’s focus on undergraduate students and the relationships between faculty, staff, and students that she has watched transform lives throughout her presidency.

Speaking to the timing of her announcement, she wrote: “As we celebrate our 200th year and look toward our third century, it’s the right time to begin a leadership transition. Furman has never been stronger. We have a clear path forward with our strategic plan, FUture Focused, our anticipated largest incoming class in over a decade, and a community ready for what comes next.” She closed: “The world needs Furman University, and I’m convinced our third century will be the best yet.”

A presidency defined by transformation

When Davis became Furman’s first female president in 2014, she inherited a respected liberal arts institution. Over the following twelve years, she led a series of initiatives that redefined what a Furman education means and secured the university’s standing among the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges:

• The Furman Advantage, launched in 2016 as the university’s signature engaged-learning commitment, guarantees every student a personalized four-year pathway pairing classroom learning with research, internships, study away, and community-engaged experiences, backed by sustained mentorship from faculty and staff. The Furman Advantage has received more than $78.9 million in support from The Duke Endowment.
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  Furman University President Elizabeth Davis launches the Clearly Furman campaign on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

  Clearly Furman: the Campaign for Our Third Century, publicly launched in 2023 with an original goal of $426 million, has surpassed both that goal and a subsequent $476 million benchmark and is on track to conclude in June 2026 having raised more than $500 million. It will be one of the most successful campaigns ever completed by a liberal arts institution.

• Seeking Abraham, Furman’s nationally recognized reckoning with its historical ties to slavery, has set a standard among American universities for honest engagement with institutional history.
• On Discourse, building on Furman’s Statement on Freedom of Inquiry and Expression, equips students to engage thoughtfully across difference, establishing the university as a place where, in Davis’s words, students “learn how to think, not what to think.”
• FUture Focused, the university’s strategic plan, charts Furman’s path forward through academic distinction, student success, and operational strength.

Under Davis’s leadership, Furman has risen in the U.S. News & World Report national liberal arts college rankings into the mid-40s and has been named a “Most Innovative School” for eight consecutive years. The university has also been recognized in the national top 20 for “Best First-Year Experience,” and Furman’s Pathways Program, the only two-year academic advising program of its kind in the country, received the 2024 Advising Innovation Award from NACADA, the global community for academic advising.

Davis has also led significant investment in the physical campus, including the construction of Blackwell Hall, a new first-year residence hall that opened in fall 2025, comprehensive renovations to additional first-year housing completed the same year, and a total reimagination of Timmons Arena, the university’s premier venue for basketball and entertainment. She has led Furman through its bicentennial year, a yearlong celebration culminating at Homecoming this October that marks 200 years since the university’s founding in 1826, and has navigated significant external challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene, while strengthening academic programs, expanding student support, and deepening community partnerships across Greenville and the Upstate.

Board chair: “A position of strength”

Furman University President Elizabeth Davis, Charles “Kobby” Frempong ’26 and board Chair Cindy Davis pose for a photo after Frempong was awarded the Bradshaw-Feaster Medal. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Board of Trustees Chair Cindy Davis expressed the board’s gratitude and signaled confidence in Furman’s trajectory.

“Elizabeth has led Furman with vision, conviction, and a deep love for this university and its people,” said Cindy Davis. “Over the past twelve years, she has strengthened every dimension of what makes Furman distinctive: our commitment to undergraduates, our engaged learning model, our financial foundation, and our standing among the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. She has built on two hundred years of bold leadership and added a chapter that will shape Furman for generations to come.”

“Just as important,” she continued, “Elizabeth is handing her successor a Furman that is ready for what’s next. With our largest incoming class in over a decade, a clear strategic plan in FUture Focused, and an engaged board and community, our momentum is real. The board will conduct a thorough, inclusive search for Furman’s next president, and we will do so from a position of strength.”

The search process

The Board of Trustees will soon establish a presidential search committee, comprising trustees with representation from faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Additional details about the search process and timeline will be shared with the Furman community in the coming weeks.

Media Contact:

Brian Edwards, Vice President for Marketing & Communications, 412-897-0331, [email protected]