So this week Furman got our 12th President. (cue the applause and joyous shouts of congratulations)
It marked a historic moment in our history as we’ve only had 12 Presidents since 1826 and now we have a female joining the ranks. Many were relieved to have leadership in place to lead us forward and all were thrilled to welcome a woman to this historic position. However, it’s more than just being a woman and being the 12th President that is important for us – it’s the vision she laid out and asked us to partner with her to execute which is key.
She asked us to further a commitment to “engaged learning” a theme you will often hear at many liberal arts schools, commissioned first at Furman 20 years ago by President Shi. So how do we take our community in the classroom to the next level – we engage our neighbors and realize they should be part of our academic endeavors. In every academic, athletic, and artistic pursuit of ours that we may aim to leave a legacy.
She reminded us “There is power in leaving a legacy, no matter how small it may seem.” which is the hope for Furman students to come. Those of us here at Furman our leaving our legacies on the campus and hopefully with our work int he community .For me that’s putting on a TEDxFurmanU conference this past weekend with my peers and then volunteering my services for the VITA tax program with the IRS through my accounting major background.
So for those of y’all looking at Furman – I hope you see yourself coming to Greenville, SC to make a change and leave a legacy in our community.
– nm