Clearly Furman launches this week

Dear Furman Family,

Many people on campus have spent years preparing for this week, and it’s finally here. Starting Thursday, we will host a series of events leading up to the Saturday launch of Clearly Furman, the most ambitious campaign in Furman’s history. The campaign will build on the best of Furman and elevate the university’s excellence, access and impact for our students and communities.

The celebration begins on Thursday with our annual Paladin Pitch competition at 4 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium. In just a few years, the pitch competition has become very popular across the state. It’s an exciting way for our students to show off their innovative spirit and entrepreneurial acumen.

Friday is, of course, Furman Engaged, our most impressive display of student engaged learning, including research, internships and study away, among other scholarly and performance activities. The all-day event is a great way for our students to share what they have learned and discovered.

On Saturday, our faculty and staff will showcase their work from 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a day of activities modeled on Furman Engaged, with hour-long lectures and presentations across campus on a variety of topics. The Furman Showcase is your chance to learn something new from the best teachers and mentors around.

Saturday night is the big event, the Purple Party, starting at 5 p.m. on the Roberts Rugby Pitch. There will be games, food, and a special beverage tasting event. Toward the end of the evening, we’ll hear from some special people about why Clearly Furman is so important. I’ll announce our financial campaign goal, and we’ll close the party with a special surprise. The FUSAB spring concert with Dayglow will start at 8 p.m. in the amphitheater.

Visit furman.edu/campaign for more details. Registration is closed, but walk-ups are welcome and encouraged. Please make your first stop the check-in tent at McAlister Auditorium to pick up a welcome packet.

Clearly Furman, the Campaign for Our Third Century, will be a community effort. We all will play important roles in meeting our goals. I hope you’ll join me this week to celebrate as a community the things we do now, and the excitement of launching Clearly Furman with the promise of what we will do.

Warmly,

Elizabeth