{"id":29411,"date":"2023-12-20T09:03:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=29411"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:44:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T19:44:46","slug":"2023-icymi-10-stories-that-made-our-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2023-icymi-10-stories-that-made-our-year\/","title":{"rendered":"2023: The 10 stories that made our year"},"content":{"rendered":"

A look back through the hundreds of articles<\/a> published on the Furman News site in 2023 reminds us of what a remarkable year it\u2019s been. We\u2019ve shared stories about an ambitious campaign to ensure the university\u2019s future and our continuing dedication to learn from our past. We cheered for the Paladins during some historic seasons and \u2013 once again \u2013 got props from U.S. News and World Report. Along the way, we took time to pet a friendly 15-year-old dog during a lakeside walk and celebrate a 50-year-old Diamond F logo that has come to represent Furman everywhere.<\/p>\n

Take a moment to look back at 10 of our favorite Furman News<\/a> posts from the past 12 months \u2013 the ones that got us talking, thinking, laughing and cheering. They\u2019re all now part of the nearly 200-year-old story of Furman University, as we prepare to add chapters next with experiences and achievements to come in 2024.<\/p>\n

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The men\u2019s basketball team celebrates after defeating the University of Virginia, 68-67, for their first NCAA tournament victory since 1974.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman shoots and scores! NCAA win elevates university<\/a><\/h3>\n

When the Furman Paladins downed Virginia for the first upset of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, they raised the university\u2019s profile to stratospheric heights, and suddenly everybody was talking about Furman.<\/p>\n

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Furman University President Elizabeth Davis launches the Clearly Furman campaign with the financial goal of $426 million on Saturday, April 15, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Clearly Furman campaign launches with goal of $426 million by 2026<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u201cThis is Furman\u2019s moment. This is our moment,\u201d said President Elizabeth Davis. \u201cOur moment to come together, to propel our university into its third century with a clear vision and the resources to meet our enormous potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Furman University President Emeritus David E. Shi \u201973 speaks during the 20th anniversary of The Riley Institute in 2019.<\/p><\/div>\n

David Shi\u2019s $1 million gift builds on a legacy of sustainability<\/a><\/h3>\n

More than a decade after stepping down in 2010, Furman University President Emeritus David E. Shi \u201973 \u201ccouldn\u2019t be more pleased\u201d to see the school\u2019s national acclaim for the sustainability education, research and leadership initiatives he helped launch. With a $1 million pledge to The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, he hopes to help preserve that legacy of sustainability for future generations.<\/p>\n

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A specialty Furman bourbon was offered at The Purple Party to celebrate a significant milestone in the life of the Clearly Furman campaign and share a toast to Furman\u2019s third century on Saturday, April 15, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman launches FU All the Time straight bourbon whiskey<\/a><\/h3>\n

Furman University fans and friends have a new way to show their spirit for the university. FU All the Time, a favorite Paladins cheer, is also now a private-label straight bourbon whiskey.<\/p>\n

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Furman first-year students participate in the traditional processional down Furman Mall to McAlister Auditorium for Opening Convocation on Aug. 21, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman\u2019s first-year experience among top 20 in US News Rankings<\/a><\/h3>\n

Furman University again ranked among the best universities in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report \u201cBest Colleges\u201d rankings, which ranked the university 46th overall among more than 200 national liberal arts colleges and universities. In 2023, Furman jumped 12 spots to 20th in the best \u201cFirst Year Experiences\u201d category. A notable experience for first-year and sophomore students at Furman is the Pathways Program, a series of four one-credit classes led by faculty advisors and peer mentors that builds a foundation of self-awareness and professional skills.<\/p>\n

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Furman University\u2019s Cherokee Land Acknowledgment Plaque was unveiled by Furman Lake on Nov. 3, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman unveils plaque acknowledging Cherokee land<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u201cI think the crows are saying, \u2018This is a great event. Everybody come and look and see what they\u2019re doing,\u2019\u201d said Cherokee storyteller Kathi Littlejohn during a ceremony in November 2023, as birds cawed overhead. She stood next to a new marker stating that Furman University occupies traditional land of the Cherokee people.<\/p>\n

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Staff pose outside the newly remodeled Trone Center for Mental Fitness.<\/p><\/div>\n

Trone Center for Mental Fitness dedicated as \u2018innovative hub\u2019 for student care<\/a><\/h3>\n

In a way, counseling services at the Trone Center for Mental Fitness begin as soon as you walk through the door. Before you even see a counselor, you can feel the calming effects of the newly renovated space. Made possible by a $10 million gift from David \u201977 and June Trone supporting Clearly Furman’s wellness, belonging and community priority, the renovation was part of an overall expansion programs, education and support for student wellbeing.<\/p>\n

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The Paladins shut down VMI 37-3 on Nov. 11, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman Paladins win first outright SoCon championship since 1990<\/a><\/h3>\n

In November, the Paladins met Virginia Military Institute on the gridiron and came away with a 37-3 victory and their first outright SoCon championship since 1990.<\/p>\n

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Dennis Zeiger ’74 was the designer of the Diamond F logo, which turned 50 years old in 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

Furman\u2019s Diamond F logo turns 50<\/a><\/h3>\n

For the price of a tank of gas and a few hamburgers, Dennis Zeiger \u201974 created an icon that has been familiar to Furman fans for five decades.<\/p>\n

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Riley, a 15-year-old dog, has been visiting campus with her humans nearly every day for 10 years.<\/p><\/div>\n

Riley\u2019s Love<\/a><\/h3>\n

At 15, she is regal, part stately golden retriever, part squat, howling Basset hound. When students walk by, Riley sits, then lolls on her side, and performs a dual role she\u2019s become famous for: giving, and receiving, endless amounts of love. She has visited Furman nearly every day for 10 years with her humans, and her furry face is beloved by thousands of Dins, past and present. In 2023, Riley took over social media too, with her story reaching nearly 100,000 people on Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look back at some of the articles that told the story of an exceptional place during a remarkable time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":29430,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,3,24,2255,1922,70,90,27,61,30,2384],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-alumni","category-athletics","category-campus-updates","category-clearly-furman","category-diversity-equity-and-inclusion","category-president","category-student-life","category-the-furman-advantage","category-top-stories","category-trone-center-for-mental-fitness"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29411"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33373,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29411\/revisions\/33373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}