Priority One | UNIVERSITY OF INNOVATION AND IMPACT

Drive a culture of innovation that positions Furman as a premier liberal arts and sciences university recognized for delivering a high-value, individualized learning experience through the teacher-scholar model, and fosters student engagement and purposeful community impact.

Objective 1: Become a National Leader in Individualized Learning and Student Outcomes

Deepen and magnify the experience and outcomes of The Furman Advantage to demonstrate the value of a liberal arts and sciences education and position Furman as a leading national institution for individualized, real-world, high-impact student experiences.

I. Deepen and Magnify The Furman Advantage

• Harness the transformational power of The Furman Advantage by purposefully enhancing, innovating, and evolving its supporting programs.
• Deliver an unparalleled liberal arts and sciences experience for students through innovative classroom teaching, engaged learning, and individualized mentoring by accomplished teacher-scholar faculty and professional staff.

II. Enhance and Refine Student Pathways

• Enhance students’ four-year pathway through continuous iteration of its programs and opportunities, empowering students to tailor personalized learning experiences.
• Strengthen the connections between academic disciplinary knowledge, career preparation, engaged learning, and job-ready skills to effectively prepare students for success.

Objective 2:  Cultivate Real-World Problem Solvers to Lead Community Impact in Greenville and Beyond

Employ expertise and networks of Furman faculty, staff, and the four institutes to impact communities and provide transformational real-world experiences for students.

I. Broaden Issue-based Experiential Learning

• Foster critical thinking and learning through curricular, cocurricular and extracurricular experiences that emphasize real-world applications.
• Deploy institute and faculty expertise to broaden student opportunities for applied research addressing key challenges in our community.

II. Serve as Engines of Social Impact in our Community

• Lead community-driven research efforts that focus on delivering innovative solutions to complex issues in South Carolina.
• Harness opportunities for community-led social impact through academic partnerships, research collaborations, internships, and public scholarship in Greenville, the Upstate, South Carolina, and beyond.

III. Catalyze Thought Leadership in Greenville

• Translate subject matter expertise and leadership from faculty, staff, and institutes on the local level, documenting outcomes that benefit the Greenville community and the surrounding region.

Objective 3: Advance Innovative Pathways for Learners

Ensure Furman is prepared for the next generation of students by evolving our academic and professional education programs, leveraging the relevance of the liberal arts and sciences and our unique institutional resources, and supporting our faculty and staff.

I. Prepare 21^st Century Learners

• Facilitate innovative thinking across all campus constituencies to meet the evolving needs of learners.
• Support and enhance the teacher-scholar model.
• Integrate technology into the classroom and campus to enhance learning outcomes, the student experience, and provide skills development for emerging technologies such as AI.

II. Drive Strategic Learning Opportunities and Partnerships

• Fulfill our vision to promote lifelong learners by providing transformative experiences for learners through credit-bearing and non-credit bearing programs.
• Harness Furman’s unique resources to develop innovative credentials that meet the evolving needs of 21st-century learners.
• Expand strategic partnerships with organizations in our region to create innovative solutions that develop their talent pools, address key skills gaps in our region, and demonstrate the benefits of a liberal arts and sciences-informed approach to solve key workforce challenges.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

KPIs will be developed by working groups assigned to operationalize specific initiatives.

Priority Two | THRIVING COMMUNITY

Cultivate a vibrant, interconnected community where students, faculty, and staff flourish, engagement thrives, and wellbeing is prioritized.

Objective 1: Prioritize wellbeing, growth, and a sense of belonging.

Prioritize Furman’s holistic approach to wellbeing for the student, faculty, and staff experience.

I. Enhance the Student Experience

• Support holistic student development by integrating wellbeing into all facets of the student experience.
• Provide the tools and support needed for students to develop independence and resiliency.

II. Foster Diversity and Belonging

• Demonstrate a steadfast commitment to recruit and retain a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.
• Reinforce the essential role of cultural understanding, inclusiveness, and belonging and implement initiatives aimed to improve these outcomes.

III. Support Employee Growth and Satisfaction

• Prioritize faculty and staff wellbeing, engagement, and professional growth.
• Foster a positive and enriching campus culture through improved communication and collaboration.

IV. Enrich the Campus Environment

• Create an inclusive and inspiring campus environment and physical space.
• Ensure that students, faculty, staff, and alumni find a sense of place on campus. 

Objective 2: Cultivate a Community of Discourse and Inquiry

Develop the platforms and skills that support the freedom of inquiry, thought, and discourse on our campus and in our larger community.

I. Strengthen Healthy Discourse

• Promote through On Discourse and related initiatives respect for all people, rigorous inquiry, and opportunities to engage in productive dialogue and engage different perspectives.
• Extend conversations beyond the student body to faculty, staff, and community audiences and spaces

II. Foster Dialogue Skills Development

• Create opportunities to develop skills for communicating across differences while promoting freedom of inquiry, deep listening, and respectful dialogue. 

Objective 3: Improve Financial Stability for the Furman Community

Meet the financial needs of students, faculty, and staff in a variety of ways, alleviating barriers and promoting access to help pave the way for their ultimate success.

I. Meet Student Financial Need

• Determine costs and potential resources to develop a strategy to meet 100% of financial need for students.
  

II. Support Employee Recruitment and Investment

• Reaffirm Furman’s commitment to competitive salaries and benefits for faculty and staff.
• Invest in employee recruitment, engagement, and retention.

Objective 4: Lead in Responsible Stewardship for our Planet

Deepen our commitment to a core value of sustainability, underscoring that functional ecosystems are foundational for long-term human thriving.

I. Advance Carbon Neutrality Goals

• Recommit to and realize the plan to become carbon neutral as a responsible global citizen.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, targeting a 60% net reduction by 2030, and a goal of carbon neutrality by 2040, using 2007 as a baseline. For additional details on our climate goals, click here.
• Assess and improve institutional resiliency to climate change.

II. Foster Sustainable Community

• Utilize Furman’s unique physical assets and our integrated, holistic approach to model sustainability that supports human thriving within ecological boundaries.
• Integrate educational opportunities that produce global-minded citizens with the interdisciplinary skills and experience to solve the climate crisis.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

KPIs will be developed by working groups assigned to operationalize specific initiatives.

Priority Three | SUSTAINABLE AND STRONG FUTURE

Foster a dynamic and sustainable future as we enter our third century.

Objective 1: Bolster our Financial Foundation

Secure the university’s long-term success through strategic prioritization of revenue generation and financial strength.

I. Ensure Financial Growth

• Implement, and commit to a long-term sustainable and robust business plan.

II. Boost Fundraising

• Complete and exceed the goal for the Clearly Furman campaign.
• Ensure institutional capacity for ongoing fundraising success beyond the current campaign.
• Grow the endowment.

III. Diversify Revenue Opportunities

• Broaden student base beyond undergraduates and diversify revenue streams. 

IV. Optimize Campus Resources

• Evaluate ways to optimize existing infrastructure, technology, and human capital.
• Capitalize on economic savings attained by making progress toward sustainability goals.
• Align funding with strategic priorities so that we can respond to capacity needs without adding resources.

Objective 2: Articulate the Furman Brand

Identify and communicate a clear, authentic identity that draws on Furman’s distinctiveness, reflecting a bold, inspiring, and visible brand.

I. Define and Clarify Brand

• Define and articulate through research and creativity a clear brand identity that draws on Furman’s distinct academic and student life experiences to bolster public awareness, reputation, and prestige.

II. Tell the Furman Story

• Develop internal, campus-wide communications plan to coordinate messaging.
• Devise succinct, clear messaging to tell the Furman story

III. Utilize Athletics as an Asset

• Emphasize its role in recruitment, brand awareness, and reputation.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

KPIs will be developed by working groups assigned to operationalize specific initiatives.