Articles and Insights

“So… what is the Shi Institute?” Hi! My name is Maggie Kropf and I am the Communications and Outreach Fellow for the Shi Institute for this summer. This role combines my deep passion for sustainable lifestyles that enrich communities with my growing interest in accessible communication that connects broad audiences....Read more

Theater has always asked its audiences to see the world through someone else’s eyes. For Miriam Ragland, M’25, it became a vehicle for something more: real social change. After 25 years teaching theater at Presbyterian College (PC), she pursued Furman’s Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social...Read more

You know when you smack yourself on the side of the head and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” In the Imagination Age, leaders don’t have to be the one with all the answers. Success depends on aligning folks who see angles that might never occur to us. ...Read more

Summer is here and while that means slowing down for much of campus, the Shi Institute is alive this season with 17 student sustainability fellows. This cohort – representing 13 distinct academic majors and minors, 8 states and 2 countries – will spend the next 10 weeks pursuing diverse sustainability work...Read more

Most people don’t think of themselves as innovative. They think innovation belongs to someone else: a genius, an entrepreneur or a person with a big idea. Furman’s Master of Science in Innovation and Leadership (MSIL) is built to change that. “What the world needs is people who...Read more

New Master in Advocacy and Social Policy graduate Kate Harrington was selected by her classmates to speak on their behalf at the Graduate Studies Hooding Ceremony on May 8, 2026. To follow is Kate’s speech.   Good evening, everyone—and congratulations to my fellow graduates. A few years ago, I learned...Read more

New Master of Science in Community Engaged Medicine graduate Junie Mertus was selected by her classmates to speak on their behalf at the Graduate Studies Hooding Ceremony on May 8, 2026. To follow is Junie’s speech.   Good evening to Furman faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, families, and guests and...Read more

Furman University students connected with a room full of community leaders on the frontline of addressing social isolation at the annual Building Better Tomorrows Conference.  Hosted April 16 by the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health and the Institute for Child Success, this year’s Building Brighter...Read more

Stress has a branding problem.Read more

I am currently a third-grade teacher at Blythe Academy of Languages in Greenville, South Carolina. This is my third year teaching. I have a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Literacy Education. Before beginning at Blythe, I taught English for a year in Cantabria, Spain. Since...Read more

Furman University’s Center for Innovative Leadership has been named a recipient of two prestigious awards by UPCEA, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, as part of its 2026 Association Awards program. Award recipients were honored at the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference, April 15–17 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Furman received...Read more

We had a wonderful time at this year's UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans, and we would like to share this recap written by our friends at Eduframe by Drieam. Mieke Ridderhof captured the energy of the conference beautifully: the honest conversations, the big questions around...Read more

Every industry is changing because of AI. Most professionals are still figuring out where they fit.Read more

Tre’Dessa Smalls comes from a family of servant leaders. Raised in Burgess, South Carolina, a small town just 15 minutes outside Myrtle Beach, Tre’Dessa has never shied away from the issues others overlook: affordable housing, mental health equity and the lasting effects of parental incarceration on children. Today, she channels...Read more

Ask any Master of Science in Innovation and Leadership student about “Fridays in the Field,” and they’ll light up, sharing stories from recent visits to Michelin Innovation Lab, Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery and Soteria At Work. They’ll describe...Read more