Furman University: A Comprehensive Overview of Location and Campus Life

Furman University, a private liberal arts college founded in 1826, is located in Greenville, South Carolina. Named after Baptist pastor Richard Furman, it holds the distinction of being the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. Originally affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Furman transitioned to a secular university in 1992, while retaining its motto, "Christo et Doctrinae" (For Christ and Learning). This article delves into the details of Furman's location, campus, academic environment, student life, and history.

Historical Context and Location

Furman Academy and Theological Institution was established in Edgefield, South Carolina, in 1825. The first classes were held in January 1828 with just 10 students. The institution faced financial challenges in its early years, operating in the High Hills of the Santee (now Stateburg, South Carolina) from 1829 to 1834. Furman University has been at its current location since 1958. The first school building from the downtown Greenville campus was transported to the current campus, where it still stands.

Furman University is nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, between Atlanta, Charlotte, and Asheville. Greenville offers a small city atmosphere with big-time amenities, international flavor, and natural beauty.

Directions to Furman University

Several routes can be taken to reach Furman University:

From I-85: Take I-385 N toward downtown Greenville, passing the Bi-Lo Center on the right. The road becomes Beattie Place, then College Street. Bear right onto US 276 West toward Travelers Rest.
From I-185: Take I-185 N toward downtown Greenville (exit 42). Follow I-185 into Greenville (continuing straight as the road becomes Mills Avenue, then Church Street). Turn left onto Beattie Place (which becomes College Street). Bear right onto US 276 West toward Travelers Rest.
From I-26: Take I-385 N toward downtown Greenville. Travel I-385 approximately 43 miles into downtown Greenville, passing the Bi-Lo Center on the right. This road becomes Beattie Place, then College Street. Follow this road until bearing right onto US 276 West toward Travelers Rest.
From Hendersonville, NC (I-26): Take US 25 S. In Travelers Rest, bear left onto US 276 to Greenville, just past the Hampton Inn.

The street address is 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613.

Campus Overview

The Furman University campus spans 940 acres and is recognized for its aesthetic appeal. The campus has been recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world by publications such as House Beautiful, e-Architect, and Times Higher Education.

The campus includes an Asian garden, with the Place of Peace, a Buddhist temple moved to the site from Japan, as its centerpiece. The campus also features a Southern Living showcase home called Cliffs Cottage.

Sustainability Initiatives

Furman is committed to sustainability, with initiatives led by John E. Furman works to conserve, reduce, and recycle on campus, has constructed green buildings and provided students with alternative transportation. Furman has a farm on campus. The Furman Farm is a quarter-acre garden located beside the Cliffs Cottage and the Furman Lake. A wide variety of produce is grown throughout the year using sustainable agricultural practices such as crop rotations, composting, drip lines, natural fertilizers, and integrated pest management. Furman also has installed a 6-acre solar farm with a 743 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) array near the campus entrance. The Princeton Review featured Furman in its list of Green Colleges; it received a green rating of 90.

Academics and Rankings

Furman University is ranked No. #45 in National Liberal Arts Colleges and No. #11 in Most Innovative Schools. The student-faculty ratio at Furman University is 10:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. The school's tuition and fees are $61,444. The four-year graduation rate is 73%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $50,796.

Furman offers majors and programs in 42 subjects. All students must complete general education requirements as part of the liberal arts curriculum. The general education requirements include mind and body wellness, textual analysis, two natural sciences, math/formal reasoning, two empirical studies of human behavior, history, ultimate question, foreign language, and world culture. Furman is not divided into colleges, but includes centers and four institutes. Furman's four institutes are the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Richard W. Riley Institute, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, and the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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Admission and Financial Aid

Furman University accepts the Common Application and has a test-optional admissions policy. The school's tuition and fees are $61,444. Forty-four percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $31,357. The acceptance rate is 42.94%.

Student Life

Furman University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,383 (fall 2024). Living together for four years creates bonds that last a lifetime. Join a welcoming campus culture with 170+ student organizations, 18 Division I athletic teams, and championship traditions that unite our campus.

Athletics

Furman competes in NCAA Division I athletics, and at the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level in football. Furman Athletics, with teams across 18 NCAA Division I programs, have won two national championships, competed in 127 NCAA tournaments and produced 160 All-Americans. As Greenville’s team, the Paladins, compete both at Furman and downtown Greenville. Whether a causal fan or a season ticket holder, there’s a seat for everyone to cheer on our purple and white. James C. Timmons Arena is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena. It is home to the Furman University Paladins basketball team since its opening on December 30, 1997. Timmons Arena received a $40 million donor funded renovation in 2025.

Student Development

Your first year is an opportunity to discover your skills, interests, values, identity, and goals by taking courses in a variety of different academic fields. Settle into your new environment and gain a sense of belonging while focusing on classroom learning. Year two places an emphasis on inquiry and exploration. Students connect their ongoing classroom learning and conversations with advisors and mentors with the idea of an engaged learning experience. In the third year, use your classroom learning, reflection and support from mentors and advisors to focus your area of study. Take the initiative to seek out engaged learning opportunities such as an internship or a study away, research or community project. The fourth year is the culmination of your classroom learning, mentoring and advising, engaged learning experience. Synthesize your experiences, integrating all you have done will help you create your narrative for employers and graduate schools. Talk to your mentors. Connect with the career center and alumni. Talk to prospective employers or apply for graduate school.

Governance

Leadership and guidance to the university is provided by a board of trustees, whose 36 members meet at least three times per academic year and can be elected for up to four three-year terms. Under the governance of the board of trustees, Furman is led by a president. Elizabeth Davis became Furman's president on July 1, 2014. As of 2023 eleven senior administrators manage academic and administrative departments.

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Historical Events and Social Change

In 1933, students from the Greenville Women's College began attending classes with Furman students. In 1924, Furman was named one of four collegiate beneficiaries of the Duke Endowment. Through 2007, Furman has received $110 million from the endowment, which is now one of the nation's largest philanthropic foundations.

Desegregation

In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education found the "separate but equal" policy to be unconstitutional, starting the lengthy process of desegregating public schools. As of that date, Furman, like most Southern colleges, did not accept African Americans as students. Some Furman students began to press for change. In 1955, some students wrote short stories and poems in The Echo, a student literary magazine, in support of integration; school administrators destroyed all 1,500 printed copies. By 1963, enough faculty were siding with the students over racial desegregation that Furman's board of trustees voted to admit Black students. Desegregated admission was not implemented at Furman until its incoming president, Gordon W.

Task Force on Slavery and Justice

In October 2018, the Task Force on Slavery and Justice set up by Provost George Shields issued Seeking Abraham, a report making recommendations "to acknowledge the role slavery and racism had in the school's history." The task force was a response to the article, "Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation: What is the Furman Legacy?" published in October 2016 in the university newspaper, which pointed out that Richard Furman, the university's namesake, and even more so his son James Clement Furman, Furman's first president, were slave owners and active defenders of slavery. "Abraham" is a reference to Abraham Sims, a slave at the house of James Furman. The task force issued 19 recommendations, which were unanimously accepted by Furman's board of trustees. In 2012, a new facility, named for alumni Sarah and Gordon Herring, was built for continuing education. The student center was expanded and renovated in 2012.

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