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Furman University F urman University is the oldest, largest and most se- lective private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. Founded in 1826 by the Baptist Convention of South Carolina as the Furman Academy and Theo- logical Institution, Furman today is an independent, coeducational liberal arts college of 2,600 students located on a spacious 750-acre campus in Greenville. Named for Richard Furman, a prominent pastor in Charleston, S.C., and a leader in Baptist higher educa- tion, the institution moved three times in its early years before being chartered as the Furman University and settling permanently in Greenville in 1850. Eight years later its theological department became the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which eventually moved to Louisville, Ky. Between 1920 and 1932 the university included a law school, but for most of its history it has been a liberal arts college. In 1933 Furman was coordinated with the nearby Greenville Woman's College, which was founded by South Carolina Baptists in 1854 as Greenville Baptist Female College. The two schools operated under one administration but on separate campuses in downtown Greenville until 1961, when the current physical plant on the outskirts of town was completed and the two campuses were united. The university and the South Carolina Baptist Convention severed ties in 1992. The move to the new campus served as the catalyst for Furman's ongoing transformation from a primarily regional college to one of the leading liberal arts institutions in the country. Today Furman offers majors and programs in 40 subjects and is one of the select group of colleges that qualify for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's most prestigious academic study body comes from 47 states and 47 countries. of engaged learning, a hands-on, problem-solving, collaborative approach to the liberal arts that encourages students to put into practice the theories learning, study abroad and research. FURMAN FACTS within four years and concept departmental honoraries