Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th President on July 1, 2014. Before coming to Furman, she spent 22 years at Baylor University in Texas, where she was a member of the accounting faculty and later held the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. Before beginning her higher education career, she spent three years as an auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. in New Orleans.

Innovation is Dr. Davis’s hallmark. Under her leadership, Furman introduced The Furman Advantage, a distinctive approach to higher education that combines classroom learning with immersive experiences, mentoring, reflection and career exploration to create personalized pathways to launch graduates into successful careers and lives of purpose. The Furman Advantage has received more than $75 million in support from The Duke Endowment since its launch in October 2016.

During President Davis’s tenure, the university has moved from the low 50s into the mid-40s in the U.S. News & World Report best colleges rankings and has been voted a “Most Innovative School” six years in a row. Furman has also been noted for its Pathways Program, being ranked in the top 20 for “Best First-Year Experience” among all universities. The Furman Advantage and Pathways have also been recognized with national awards from NACADA-The Global Community for Academic Advising and the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

In 2023, the university publicly launched Clearly Furman, the Campaign for Our Third Century with a goal of raising $426 million by 2026. In October 2024, the goal was raised to $476 million. The campaign is on track to reach this goal in 2026, the university’s bicentennial year. Major capital projects launched during Dr. Davis’s tenure include the construction of a new residence hall, opened in Fall 2024, the renovation of several other residence halls, and a total reimagination of Timmons Arena, the university’s venue for basketball and entertainment.

In September 2019, Dr. Davis received the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education in recognition of her significant contributions to experiential education, including creating The Furman Advantage. She has been recognized as one of Greenville Business Magazine’s “50 Most Influential People,” and is included in the publication’s “Most Influential Hall of Fame.”

Dr. Davis is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greenville County and has served on the board of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on the board of the Council of Independent Colleges, the Association of Governing Boards Council of Presidents, and on the American Council on Education’s Women’s Network Executive Committee

She has addressed numerous organizations in the Upstate and spoken throughout the U.S. on issues involving higher education, university leadership and financial management. She has been quoted in national media, authored multiple op-eds, and participated in radio and television interviews about higher education.

Dr. Davis received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor in 1984 and earned her Ph.D. from Duke University in 1992. She and her husband, Charles, have two adult children, Chad and Claire.