Furman University
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Furman University
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| Established | 1826 |
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| School type | Private |
| President | David Shi |
| Location | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Enrollment | 2,600 undergraduate, 500 graduate |
| Faculty | 200 |
| Campus | Suburban 750 acre (3 km²) |
| Athletics | 17 varsity teams |
| Nickname | Paladins |
| Homepage | www.furman.edu |
Furman University is an private, coeducational, non-sectarian, liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826, Furman enrolls approximately 2,600 undergraduate and 500 graduate students on its 750 acre (3 km²) campus. Its president is David Shi
The university is dedicated mostly to undergradate education. Professors encourage undergraduate students to author articles, participate in internships, and volunteer in their respective fields of study. Only a few departments, such as education and chemistry, offer graduate degrees.
Furman is best known for its history, psychology, political science, music, and chemistry departments. The psychology, computer science, and chemistry departments have earned high marks among professional organizations spanning the sciences (social, applied, and basic), notable for a liberal arts institution of its size.
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History
Furman was founded in 1826 as a men's academy and theological institute, in Edgefield, South Carolina. The original school building from that campus resides on the Greenville campus today. In 1933, students from the Greenville Women's College began attending classes with Furman students. Shortly thereafter, the two schools merged to form the present institution. In the late 1950s, Furman began construction on its new campus, just five miles north of downtown Greenville. Now non-sectarian, the school was affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention until 1992.
Campus
A 30-acre (0.1-km²) lake is at the center of the 750-acre (3-km²), wooded Furman University campus. Many academic buildings and student residences stand around the lake, including the Belltower, which figures highly in school insignias and is a replica of a bell tower that once existed on the men's campus in downtown Greenville. Today, the campus is anchored by its newly expanded 128,000 square foot (12,000 m²) library.
Athletics
Furman competes in NCAA Division I athletics as the Paladins. The university is a charter member of the Southern Conference.
Notable alumni
- John B. Watson - Psychologist
- Charles Townes - Nobel Prize-winner in Physics
- Richard Riley - Former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Secretary of Education under the Clinton administration
- Mark Sanford - Current Governor of South Carolina
- Keith Lockhart - Current conductor of the Boston Pops
- Victoria Jackson - Former cast member of Saturday Night Live
- Herman W. Lay - Founder: Lay's Potato Chips
- Frank Selvy, former NBA All-Star
Notable faculty
- Christopher W. Blackwell - Classics
- Charles Brewer - Psychology
- Hayden Porter - Computer Science
- William M. Baker - Physics
- Moses Lee - Chemistry
- Melinda J. Menzer - English
- Willard Pate - English
- Jim Guth - Political Science
- Brent Nelsen - Political Science
- Bob McNamara - Sociology
Majors and Concentrations
- Accounting
- Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (concentration)
- Art
- Asian Studies
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Classics
- Communication Studies
- Computer Science
- Computer Science—Mathematics
- Computing—Business
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Economics
- Education (Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and Special)
- English
- Environmental Studies (concentration)
- French
- German
- Greek
- Health and Exercise Science
- History
- Latin
- Latin American Studies (concentration)
- Mathematics
- Mathematics-Economics
- Music (Church, Education, Performance, and Theory)
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Pre-engineering (dual degree)
- Psychology
- Religion
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Theatre Arts
- Urban Studies (concentration)
- Women's Studies (concentration)
Comparable schools
- Rhodes College
- DePauw University
- Mount Holyoke College
- University of the South
External links
- Furman University website (http://www.furman.edu/)
- Furman athletics website (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)