{"id":39973,"date":"2025-10-28T10:42:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T14:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=39973"},"modified":"2025-10-31T16:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T20:01:11","slug":"14-inducted-into-furman-universitys-white-oaks-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/14-inducted-into-furman-universitys-white-oaks-society\/","title":{"rendered":"14 inducted into Furman University\u2019s White Oaks Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a cool Saturday autumn morning under a cloudless sky, a slight breeze whispered among changing leaves and sunlight bathed Benefactors Green as Furman University announced 14 new members of the White Oaks Society, a collection of donors who have given $1 million or more to the university.<\/p>\n

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Furman University President Elizabeth Davis speaks during the White Oaks Society induction ceremony at the Benefactor\u2019s Green on Saturday, October 25, 2025.<\/p><\/div>\n

White Oaks members\u2019 names are engraved in metal sculptures standing tall in Benefactors Green, on the Duke Library\u2019s north side.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little cool this morning, but the gifts we are celebrating today will warm your hearts,\u201d Furman University President Elizabeth Davis said to a crowd of about 75 gathered for the moment.<\/p>\n

Each name on the sculpture \u201cis a declaration of support \u2013 not only financial support, but moral support,\u201d Davis said. \u201cIt signals to our faculty, staff, and especially our students, your commitment, and your belief in Furman as a worthy and valuable university. Your generosity provides resources so that students can experience the best higher education possible, the kind of experience that led author and influencer Jeffrey Selingo to call Furman a \u2018Dream School\u2019 in his latest book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis mentioned the success of the Clearly Furman campaign, well on its way to reaching the $475 million goal by the university\u2019s bicentennial celebration in 2026. She also mentioned the success of raising funds for scholarships, accomplishments by The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the re-opening of Timmons Arena as examples of donor support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn one year, we doubled our commitments to new scholarships, from $10 million in 2024 to $20 million in 2025,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

Gifts from the Timmons and Pelham families, and Ravenel Curry \u201863, helped transform Timmons into one of the finest arenas in the Southern Conference, she said.<\/p>\n

And the Clemens Angel Analyst Program, a cornerstone of the Hill Institute, is growing in popularity, with 55 students through five iterations of the program and 25 signed up for the next round.<\/p>\n

Members of the White Oaks Society were key in all of these successes. Davis said the eponymous oaks \u201care big, beautiful, stalwart trees that persevere through time and the elements. They also help hold up the forests in which they grow, contributing to the stability and richness of their environments. Likewise, the White Oaks Society is a distinctive, stalwart group of donors, with networks of roots and limbs that keep us grounded and lift us up.\u00a0 It is the connective tissue that enriches the university\u2019s philanthropic ecosystem.\u00a0 Its members reflect Furman\u2019s commitment to the highest ideals in higher education and society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connie Carson, vice president for Student Life, spoke after the president. \u201cFurman is the place where obstacles become opportunities because of you,\u201d she told the White Oaks Society inductees.<\/p>\n

The Society\u2019s investments in Furman give students \u201cexperiences beyond compare\u201d and ensure they graduate the university \u201cprepared to make a better tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new members of the White Oaks Society are:<\/p>\n