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FURMAN UNIVERSITY Engaged Learning and a Thriving City
urman University is the oldest, largest and most selective private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. Founded in 1826 by the Baptist Convention of South Carolina as the Furman Academy and Theological Institution, Furman today is an independent, coeducational liberal arts college of 2,600 students located on a spacious 750-acre campus in Greenville. Named for Richard Furman, a prominent pastor in Charleston, S.C., and a leader in Baptist higher education, the institution moved three times in its early years before being chartered as the Furman University and settling permanently in Greenville in 1850. Eight years later its theological department became the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which eventually moved to Louisville, Ky. Between 1920-32 the university included a law school, but for most of its history it has been a liberal arts college. In 1933 Furman was coordinated with the nearby Greenville Woman’s College, which was founded by South Carolina Baptists in 1854 as
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Greenville Baptist Female College. The two schools operated under one administration but on separate campuses in downtown Greenville until 1961, when the current physical plant on the out-
qualify for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honorary society. Ninety-six percent of the faculty hold a doctorate or the terminal degree in their field,
Furman is among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. The only South Carolina school to make the Princeton Review’s list of 100 “Best Vallue Colleges” for 2009, Furman also made Kiplinger’s “Top 50 Values in Liberal Arts Colleges.” skirts of town was completed and the two campuses were united. The university and the South Carolina Baptist Convention severed ties in 1992. The move to the new campus served as the catalyst for Furman’s ongoing transformation from a primarily regional college to one of the leading liberal arts institutions in the country. Today Furman offers majors and programs in 40 subjects and is one of the select group of colleges that
2010 Furman Football Gameday
and the student body comes from 47 states and 47 countries. In recent years Furman has become an exemplar of engaged learning, a hands-on, problem-solving, collaborative approach to the liberal arts that encourages students to put into practice the theories and methods learned from texts and lectures. Engaged learning emphasizes such areas as internships, service learning, study abroad and research.
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FURMAN UNIVERSITY Engaged Learning and a Thriving City
Furman Facts • • • • • • • • • • • •
Founded 1826 2,600 students 11:1 student-faculty ratio Average class size: 18 Six Rhodes Scholars 19 Truman Scholars 17 varsity sports, NCAA Division I 83 percent of student body graduates within four years Majors and programs of study in 40 academic fields Pioneer engaged learning as a practice and concept National leader in sustainability initiatives Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, numerous departmental honoraries
www.furmanpal adins.com
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