Founded in 1826, Furman is a private, undergraduate liberal arts and sciences university of 2,800 students in Greenville, S.C. The university is noted for its rigorous academic program and strong faculty, and its 750-acre campus is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful in the nation. Furman also has outstanding visual and performing arts programs as well as NCAA Division I athletics, and the university community embraces a diversity of ideas and perspectives.
Through campus organizations such as the award-winning Heller Service Corps, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, the Shi Center for Sustainability and the Riley Institute, Furman actively participates in the local community and makes an impact far beyond the gates of the campus.
Inspiring purposeful living and fostering thriving communities through learning, creativity, and innovation.
Mission
Furman University challenges and supports lifelong learners through rigorous inquiry, transformative experiences, and deep reflection to lead lives of meaning and consequence.
Character and Values
In championing the liberal arts and sciences, Furman University cultivates a community of learners engaged in an effort to understand themselves, the world, and their place in it.
To support this quest for knowledge and meaning, we steadfastly protect freedom of inquiry and hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity. We foster a passion for lifelong learning by nurturing the growth of each individual as a whole person: intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
As we draw lessons from thoughtful consideration of our university’s past, we advocate respect for all people and actively welcome perspectives from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs.
We aspire to advance thriving communities that honor inquiry, promote diversity, strive for equity, appreciate beauty, and act as responsible stewards of our planet.
These aspirations inspire our vision and shape our mission, calling us to meet the challenges and responsibilities of a complex, diverse, and rapidly changing world with courage, moderation, justice, wisdom, and humility.
Integrity Pledge
It is the desire of Furman University to unite its members in a collective commitment to integrity. In so doing, Furman University strives to teach its members to live lives of humility, respect, and responsibility. Therefore, it is the expectation that all members of the Furman University community will conduct themselves with integrity in all endeavors. In honoring these values and ideals as Furman University’s foundation, it is with the utmost faithfulness and dignity that I will subscribe to them.
An Engaged Approach to Liberal Learning
Furman University enriches traditional liberal arts education by offering students an array of opportunities to learn by doing. While grounding its curriculum in the humanities, fine arts, and sciences, Furman offers courses in fields that are more professionally oriented: business administration, accounting, education, health sciences, and music performance. In addition, Furman emphasizes education outside the traditional classroom, providing opportunities for students to put into practice the theories and methods learned from texts or lectures. For example, Furman has become a national leader in undergraduate research and collaborative research projects involving students and professors. Engaged learning takes additional forms at Furman. A significant number of Furman students participate in internships. Others serve as teaching apprentices on campus or in elementary and secondary schools. A large number enroll in study away programs sponsored by the university while many work as volunteers for social service agencies or other helping programs in the Greenville community. For many Furman students, these out-of-class opportunities become life-changing experiences. By supplementing classroom instruction with opportunities for collaborative research and off campus learning, Furman aims to give students greater responsibility for their education, to develop their self-confidence, and to sharpen their leadership skills.
The Furman Curriculum
Furman nurtures a commitment to independent thought and lifelong learning. By providing students with a broad exposure to the liberal arts, it seeks to produce graduates grounded in the traditional sources of knowledge yet capable of devising new solutions to problems in their chosen field. At the core of Furman’s educational mission, the curriculum is dedicated to the following ideals of liberal learning:
- Invigoration and stimulation of intellectual curiosity,
- Broad preparation in a diverse set of disciplines, including the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and the fine arts,
- Intellectual inquiry in sufficient depth to allow one to contribute to a greater body of knowledge;
- Development of expressive capabilities in writing, speaking, and the arts,
- Cultivation of world citizenship-an understanding of those not like oneself, and
- Integration of knowledge into a meaningful synthesis.
Accreditation
Furman University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s, master’s, and education specialist degrees. Furman University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Furman University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur GA 30033-4097, or by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website www.sacscoc.org.
The commission requests contact only be initiated if evidence of significant non-compliance with accreditation requirements or standards exists. Requests about the normal and routine operation of the university should be directed to appropriate university offices.
Furman is a member of the Southern University Conference, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and is on the approved list of the American Chemical Society. The program in music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The Teacher Education Program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
Furman University is committed to providing equal access to its educational programs, activities, and facilities to all otherwise qualified students without discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other category protected by applicable state or federal law. An equal opportunity employer, Furman also affirms its commitment to nondiscrimination in its employment policies and practices. In compliance with Title IX (20 U.S.C Sec. 1681 et seq.) Furman University prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment. For student related disability discrimination concerns, contact the Student Office for Accessibility Resources, 864-294-2320, 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, SC 29613. Title IX concerns should be directed to Connie L. Carson, Vice President for Student Life, at 864-294-2202, 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, SC 29613.
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