Furman University (original) (raw)
Furman University is known as South Carolina's most academically challenging institution. Furman is a liberal arts based university. The school has about 3,000 students on a notably beautiful campus. Students often joke that it is the "country club of the south." Also, students note the universities idyllic setting and campus community as the "Furman Bubble," noting its insular properties.
The school is composed of almost entirely undergraduate students. Very few departments offer graduate degrees.
The school is best known for its biology, psychology, computer science, and music departments. The psychology department is known as one of the toughest majors on campus. The computer science department has won many awards (ACM) and is very active in NASA research, especially for a comparable liberal arts college.
The sports teams are known as the Paladins.
History
Furman was founded as a women's college 1826. The college was based in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. Around, the turn of the century, the school merged with a nearby men's college to form what is the current institution of the school.
In the 1950s a new campus was built just north of town, with a beautiful lake at its center.
The bell tower, which figures highly in school insignias, was installed a bit later.
Furman was officially affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention until 1995.
Miscellaneous
Jesse Jackson had his first job doing the laundry of Furman students. Though, at the time, he was not even allowed on campus on "unofficial" business.
Notable Professors
Charles Brewer - psychology
Hayden Porter - computer science
Bob McNamara - sociology
Comparable Schools
Wake Forest University
Vanderbilt University
Elon College
Suwannee University
Wheaton College, Illinois