At the heart of our university–and your college experience–is an outstanding academic program. At Furman, you will enjoy a national-caliber liberal arts and sciences education on a campus internationally recognized for its beauty, while preparing for a fulfilling career and a life of purpose. You will not just become better. You will graduate with The Furman Advantage.
Furman provides students an outstanding education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, the sciences, and select professional disciplines. Our challenge is to grow students, faculty, and staff in knowledge and understanding. We do this through small classes, individual instruction, hands-on learning, empathetic advising, and personal attention. Our goal? To be a diverse community of different races, religions, geographic origins, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
At Furman, we embrace meaningful diversity and equality as embodied by implicit values and explicit practices in all of our endeavors. As a university community, we are committed to supporting students, faculty, and staff from every walk of life.
For Furman, diversity goes beyond any single category. It includes the full range of differences that encompass all that makes us unique, including differences in race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, disability, religion, world view, and many others.
What makes us top-ranked? The minds we prepare. Furman's acclaimed faculty challenge students to think critically, evaluate and create, and see the world from a broad perspective. They emerge as broadly-educated and well-rounded graduates, destined for leadership in a complex and changing world. Founded in 1826, Furman is the oldest private university in South Carolina. The school is named for Richard Furman, a clergyman considered the most critical Baptist leader before the Civil War. Furman was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C., and became the Triennial Convention's first president, the first national body of Baptists in America.
The South Carolina Baptist Convention established Furman's original campus in Edgefield, S.C. However, over the next three decades, the campus changed locations three times before arriving in downtown Greenville, S.C., in 1851. Originally founded as a men's academy and theological institute, the theological school broke away from Furman in 1858 to become the Southern Baptist Seminary.
In 1924, Furman was named one of four collegiate beneficiaries of the Duke Endowment. The Duke Endowment grants sustained Furman through the Great Depression, helped the university coordinate with Greenville Woman's College in the 1930s, and bolstered the university's effort to pursue a new campus location. Furman broke ground on its current location north of its home city in 1953. The school would also become independent in 1992, breaking ties with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Today, Furman's 750-acre campus features an Asian garden, a replica of Henry David Thoreau's cabin, the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability, a Florentine bell tower, a spring-fed lake, 13 miles of paved trails through the woodlands, and an 18-hole golf course. It is not just the school's beautiful location that makes Furman a great place to learn. Throughout the years, the university has strengthened its residential campus community, rich student life, and rigorous academics.
It is not just the lecture halls, laboratories, and auditoriums. When you arrive, the entire campus is your classroom. Whether you are looking for a club, career advice, or volunteer opportunities, it is easy to get involved and become a part of the Furman family. An award-winning city, and nationally recognized as a model for urban development, Greenville has been called "one of the 15 best cities for young adults" and "the next big food city in the South." Please spend a few days here experiencing a start-up culture with a touch of Southern hospitality, and it is easy to see why people want to learn and live here.
Your living experience is a critical part of your education. All students live on campus for four years, cultivating a strong community that encourages collaboration and self-discovery. Furman also provides an exceptional culinary experience. With three dining locations, you will find plenty of variety and convenience. The Trone Student Center is a comfortable place for our students to meet, eat, chat, and hang out. The center is also home to several significant student resources, including The Malone Center for Career Engagement and the Rinker Center for Study Away and International Education. Whether you are interested in eating, socializing, or cramming for an exam, visit the Trone Student Center.
As a Furman student, your calendar will be full. Furman has around 150 clubs and organizations. Ultimate Frisbee. WPLS radio. Film clubs. Student government. Fraternities and sororities. If you can name it, there is probably a group of students who are involved in it. If not, find a few students who share your interest and start your own.
We admit bright, dedicated, and motivated students to our school, and it shows. Ninety-seven percent of our graduates find work within six months of leaving our campus—a stat that's well above the national average. These men and women engage in a myriad of endeavors, entering meaningful and lucrative careers and contributing to new knowledge. Your time at Furman will make you a valuable candidate upon graduation, whether you are marking the leap into the job market or applying to one of the best graduate schools in the world.
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