Administration

DR. ELIZABETH DAVIS, UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th President on July 1, 2014. Under her leadership, the university has instituted The Furman Advantage, a distinctive vision for higher education that combines learning with immersive experiences outside the classroom, creating a personalized pathway that prepares students for lives of purpose, successful careers and community benefit. The groundbreaking effort was launched in October 2016 with a $47 million grant from The Duke Endowment.

President Davis is a member of the Council of Presidents, an advisory group of college and university chief executives who provide guidance to the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges on issues of governance in higher education. She is also a member of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Board of Directors.

Dr. Davis serves on the Board of Directors of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and is an honorary member of the Board of Governors of the Commerce Club. She is a member of the Greenville Rotary Club, American Council on Education’s Women’s Network Executive Committee, and the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission. She has been recognized by Greenville Business Magazine as one of Greenville’s “50 Most Influential People.”

Dr. Davis has addressed numerous organizations in the Upstate since arriving at Furman, and she has also spoken throughout the U.S. on issues involving higher education, university leadership and financial management. She has been quoted in national media, written op-eds for The Greenville News, University Business and other publications, and done many interviews on radio and television on the subject of higher education.

Before coming to Furman, Dr. Davis spent 22 years at Baylor University in Texas, where she most recently held the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. In addition to being a member of the accounting faculty at Baylor, she also served as Vice Provost for Financial and Academic Administration, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Business Programs, and Acting Chair of the Department of Accounting and Business Law. Before beginning her higher education career, she spent three years at Arthur Andersen & Co. in New Orleans.

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 children, Chad and Claire.

JASON DONNELLY, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Since arriving at Furman as Director of Athletics in August 2019, Jason Donnelly has brought a new energy and excitement to Furman Athletics with an emphasis on a first-class student-athlete experience and enhanced alumni and external engagement strategy. Under Donnelly’s leadership, Furman Athletics strives to inspire, educate and develop outstanding student-athletes through a culture of excellence, prestigious liberal arts and sciences education, and nationally competitive athletics programs.

Jason came to Furman from Villanova University, where he most recently served as senior associate athletics director and executive director of athletics development (2015-2019). He was responsible for leading the Villanova Athletics Fund, managing fundraising and external support for all 24 varsity sports. During that time, he helped raise more than $120 million for Villanova Athletics, including three consecutive record-breaking fundraising years representing a 330% increase in dollars raised.

Jason joined Villanova in 2005 as assistant men’s basketball coach and director of basketball operations. He later became special assistant to head coach Jay Wright and was a key contributor to Villanova’s historic basketball success, including the Wildcats’ NCAA Division I national championship wins in 2016 and 2018. He also served as director of athletics development (2013-2015).

He has also been a teacher and basketball coach at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, as well as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Muhlenberg College, his alma mater. He also served as director of basketball operations for USA Basketball at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.

A native of Colonia, New Jersey, Jason graduated in 1999 from Muhlenberg, where he played varsity basketball. He has a Master’s of Public Administration from Villanova. Jason and his wife, Rachel, have three children—Aidan (10), Raeyln (8) and Allister (4).