{"id":6312,"date":"2016-12-05T16:34:41","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T21:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/26\/former-furman-president-david-shi-angela-halfacre-shi-make-500000-gift-to-university\/"},"modified":"2022-11-06T20:26:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T01:26:52","slug":"former-furman-president-david-shi-angela-halfacre-shi-make-500000-gift-to-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/former-furman-president-david-shi-angela-halfacre-shi-make-500000-gift-to-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Furman President David Shi, Angela Halfacre Shi Make $500,000 Gift to University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Furman University President David E. Shi and his wife, Angela Halfacre Shi, have made a $500,000 gift to the university that will provide additional financial support for students who are actively involved in the work of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability.<\/p>\n

The gift, which will create an endowed fund to support student fellowships in the center, is made in honor of specific individuals who \u201chave made extraordinary contributions to Furman and its commitment to sustainability over the years,\u201d Shi said.\u00a0 The Shi Center Sustainability Fellowships will be named for those individuals.<\/p>\n

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The David E. Shi Center for Sustainability was established at Furman in 2008.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAngela and I were eager to step up in support of President Davis\u2019 recently announced strategic focus on The Furman Advantage, which ensures that every student has opportunities for engaged learning experiences, and the Shi Center Fellowships do just that,\u201d Shi said.<\/p>\n

The Shi Center was established in 2008 to foster and promote interdisciplinary research and teaching in support of sustainability on campus and in the greater community. One of the center\u2019s signature programs has been the Student Sustainability Fellows program, said Dr. Weston Dripps, executive director of the center.<\/p>\n

The fellows program supports Furman undergraduate students in sustainability research, service, and internships focused on campus and community-based projects. The fellowships are open to students with any major who are interested in sustainability-related work and are available during the academic year and summer. To date, the program has\u00a0supported 236 student fellows from almost every major across campus, including 82 summer fellowships and 154 academic year fellowships. The new endowed fund will help expand the fellowship program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis timely and important gift will create even more quality experiences for Furman students who are interested in sustainability and who want to make a difference in the communities where they live,\u201d said Furman President Elizabeth Davis. \u201cThe Shi Center Fellowships will also support The Furman Advantage, our new vision to transform the student experience and redefine a liberal arts and sciences education. We are grateful to both David and Angela for their extraordinary generosity and their commitment to the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The

The Student Sustainability Fellowships are available during the academic year and summer.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Shi Center has developed innovative, award-winning programs that provide educational and research opportunities for students, faculty, staff and community members.\u00a0 In addition to the student fellows program, the center oversees the Community Conservation Corps, in its sixth year, which enables student and community volunteers to \u201cweatherize\u201d underserved homes in the greater Greenville community.\u00a0 The center also hosts applied research projects centered on sustainable food and farming, energy conservation, renewable energy, water quality, transportation, economic development, campus practices and other quality of life issues.\u00a0 Upon Shi\u2019s retirement as president in 2010, the Board of Trustees voted to name the center in his honor to recognize his commitment and national leadership in sustainability and energy conservation during his 16 years as president.<\/p>\n

Furman has been widely recognized for its commitment to sustainability. The university received the 2016 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) \u201cfor outstanding achievements and progress toward sustainability.\u201d\u00a0 AASHE has also awarded Furman a STARS Gold Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements nationwide.<\/p>\n

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The Community Conservation Corps provides free home weatherization to low income homeowners in the greater Greenville community.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The university is listed among the \u2018Top 50 Green Colleges\u201d in the Princeton Review\u2019s 2016 Guide to 361 Green Colleges <\/em>and the nation\u2019s \u201cTop 20 Greenest Colleges\u201d by Online College Plan<\/a>.\u00a0 In addition to being a charter signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, Furman is the only private liberal arts and sciences university in the nation offering a bachelor of science degree in Sustainability Science. The university built the first LEED-certified building in South Carolina and now has seven LEED buildings on campus.<\/p>\n

Those honored by the Shi\u2019s gift with named endowed student fellowships include:<\/p>\n