Furman Partnership with Christ Church Episcopal School Prompts Questions

Furman University and Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) have formed a partnership that will provide scholarships for Christ Church graduating seniors to attend Furman and a tuition discount for Furman faculty and staff to send their children to Christ Church. Several Furman professors and students fear the partnership will decrease diversity and further the university's reputation as being elitist.

University to Run Upcountry History Museum

Furman University has taken over day to day operations of the Upcountry History Museum after finalizing an agreement with the museum on Feb. 1. The museum board will maintain ownership of the building and current exhibits.

  The university is now responsible for employing museum personnel and has begun the search for a new director of the museum.  

New Concentrations to be Added to Course Catalog Next Year

When the 2012-2013 course catalog is released in March, students will see several new classes added to it. They will also see two new concentrations being offered to students: Film Studies and Arts Administration.

  For a concentration to be approved, a proposal must first be presented to all participating departments. The Arts Administration concentration, for example, is the product of the Music and Business departments.

From there, the proposal is sent to the Academic Policies Committee, a group comprised of professors in several different departments and two students, which either approves or disapproves it.  

Departments Hiring Additional Faculty

Next year there will be nine more professors on campus, the first step to accommodating the growing student population.

  This past year, the freshman class increased in size by 80 to 90 students. The expected increase for next year's freshman class is around 50 students.

The current average class size is 18 students. Dean of the Faculty John Beckford said Furman could have increased class sizes but that it would have gone against the university's principles.