Clearly Furman Case Statement

CLEARLY

WE SEE CLEARLY the promise of setting Furman apart in higher education and preparing our students as never before to be agents of inspiration, leadership and change in the world.

THE PROMISE IS REAL

Transformative academic experiences, influential faculty mentoring, intensive opportunities for reflection and growth, active preparation for exceptional careers – these offerings are clearly Furman, as they have been and must always be.

As we approach our third century and contemplate the challenges our students will face in the decades ahead, it is imperative that we lift all that we do to another level of influence and effectiveness. The abilities we nurture, the skills we develop, and the confidence we instill are vital to the success of our students in everything they pursue as graduates – and to a Furman liberal arts and sciences education that makes a difference in society.

The prospect of rising to our potential rests with the most comprehensive campaign in our history. Through a community effort as ambitious as Furman itself, CLEARLY FURMAN will help every student capitalize on all we offer.

Together, we will strengthen the learning experience, expand our impact and make the full promise of our university real.

WITH CLARITY OF PURPOSE

With a clear understanding of what separates the excellence of Furman, we have focused over the last several years on an innovative, carefully developed four-year experience we call The Furman Advantage. Combining academic requirements with guided reflection, internships and externships with attentive career preparation, this program has been structured to bring the power of a Furman education to a new level of impact.

We know this because we are doing what almost no other university is willing to do: regularly commissioning thirdparty research to ask our students what they are getting out of their Furman education and how we can make it ever more valuable – and then, through the guidance of a team of faculty and staff, continuing to make it better. Our students are telling us unequivocally: The Furman Advantage is boosting their academic success, their self-reliance and their clarity about their professional ambitions and the lives they want to lead.

But as successful as The Furman Advantage is proving to be, it is never the Furman way to settle. Across nearly 200 years of trial and testing, Furman has thrived and grown, through world wars, economic calamities and profound social and cultural upheaval. From our founding in 1826 through our relocation from downtown Greenville in 1958, from the desegregation of Furman in 1965 through the decision to leave the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1992, Furman has never shied from taking bold steps forward. Building on this spirit of ambition and determination, today’s Furman will rise to a new challenge.

Thanks to the support of donors, friends and advocates, Furman will carry forward its legacy of leadership, reward students with the finest possible undergraduate education and establish itself as a national model for liberal arts and sciences impact. With clarity of purpose about these goals, we have prioritized CLEARLY FURMAN investments in six areas, as outlined in the following pages. Individually, these priorities advance different aspects of Furman’s value as an educator striving in all ways to live up to our mission – of challenging and supporting “lifelong learners through rigorous inquiry, transformative experiences, and deep reflection to lead lives of meaning and consequence.” Collectively, these campaign objectives will have an even greater result, raising every aspect of the university’s lifelong value to students and our national standing as a liberal arts and sciences leader.

Through this campaign, we can and we will transform the quality and reach of Furman and the lives of our students forever. Please join us.

OUR CAMPAIGN GOALS

Building on the best of Furman, we will elevate the university’s excellence, access and impact through these six goals:

W E WILL STRENGTHEN academic opportunity and excellence through scholarships for students, designated funding for great teaching and innovative academic programs.

W E WILL SUPPORT every student’s growth and personal vision through our intentional Pathways two-year advising program, meaningful community engagement and internship opportunities and intensive career preparation.

W E WILL BOOST student wellness and well-being, including ensuring that Furman is maximally inclusive for students of every life experience.

W E WILL ENHANCE athletic competitiveness and leadership through investments in Paladin student-athletes, teams, facilities, coaches and training programs.

W E WILL EXPAND the hands-on learning and career preparation available for students through our four exceptional and distinctive institutes and all they offer for academic opportunity, faculty research and state and national impact.

W E WILL LIFT our annual fund into a powerful recurring resource for bold and opportunistic investments in new areas of excellence as they arise across our people, programs and physical spaces.

FUNDRAISING GOAL: $426 MILLION

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE

ATHLETICS, COACHING AND COMPETITIVENESS

THE INSTITUTES

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE

ATHLETICS, COACHING AND COMPETITIVENESS

INSTITUTES

GOAL: $130 MILLION

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE

ATHLETICS, COACHING AND COMPETITIVENESS

INSTITUTES

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Furman has long stood out for its ability to blend the liberal arts and sciences’ classic emphases on critical thinking, problem-solving and communications skills with hands-on practical learning. Transforming the support possible for scholarships, teaching and innovative and interdisciplinary academic programs, CLEARLY FURMAN will lift the human and programmatic excellence that define the university’s service and reputation.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

TEACHING EXCELLENCE

PREMIER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

$ 90 MILLION

$ 15 MILLION

$ 25 MILLION

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE

WELLNESS, BELONGING AND COMMUNITY

ATHLETICS, COACHING AND COMPETITIVENESS

GOAL: $126 MILLION

The Furman Advantage ensures that Furman has everything you need to be successful. The resources, the connections, the network. It’s how I secured my highly competitive finance internship.

OSCAR GUILLEN ’ 22

WELLNESS, BELONGING AND COMMUNITY

Today’s students and families increasingly expect that excellent colleges and universities will not only support intellectual growth but also develop the whole person – and prepare graduates for leadership in a diverse society. These holistic qualities of learning and community have long been intrinsic to Furman’s mission. As part of this campaign, we will take our approach to education further, investing in physical and emotional wellness, spaces that support student fitness and teamwork, and initiatives that foster diversity, inclusion and understanding.

Furman graduates are thriving in all well-being elements

Furman-Gallup Study

GOAL: $50 MILLION

INSPIRE MINDS WHERE THEY MEET:

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

INSPIRE MINDS WHERE THEY MEET:

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

GOAL: $40 MILLION

INSPIRE MINDS WHERE THEY MEET:

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The Hill Institute provided grant dollars, coaching and mentors, working space and other resources needed to blend my love of music and business and launch my own product.

ALEXANDRA VALDOVINOS ’ 25

INSPIRE MINDS WHERE THEY MEET:

SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

GOAL: $50 MILLION

THE ANNUAL FUND

The Annual Fund is unlike any other giving opportunity, for it unifies and magnifies the gifts of individuals across the community who want to join with others to boost the work of the university, meet urgent campus needs and demonstrate the depth to which supporters stand with students as they learn and grow. Our ambition is to build this fund into a more potent resource than at any time in our history. Every donor who contributes to the Annual Fund will bring Furman a step closer to this pivotal goal and make a meaningful and daily campus difference.

THE ANNUAL FUND $ 50 MILLION

THE POTENTIAL IS EXTRAORDINARY

Guided by our strengths as a university, focused on learning experiences that empower students to achieve their most inspiring ambitions, we will do more than meet our mission and advance Furman’s reputation for excellence. As we become a national model for a liberal arts and sciences education, we will, through our graduates, influence action and ideas across the 21st century. This is the possibility within reach, and with your support we will make it happen. The time for fresh and bold ambition is now.

CLEARLY