By Jordan Corona
Staff Writer
Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, has a new president — current Baylor Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Elizabeth Davis.
In a press conference hosted at the university, 11 a.m. EST Thursday the Furman Board of Trustees announced their selection. Davis, her husband Charles, their son and daughter were present for the announcement.
“I will miss being at Baylor,” Davis said. “I’ve spent nearly half my life at Baylor. It’s shaped the person I’ve become.”
Furman Board of trustees made their decision in a unanimous election on Sunday.
“We are tickled pink to have her,” said Richard Cullen, chair of the Furman Board of Trustees. “She’s a strong leader and a good listener.”
In an email to the Lariat, Dr. Jim Patton, chair of Baylor University’s Faculty Senate said currently, no one is in place to take the office Davis will leave behind when her Furman administration begins July 1.
Davis, who earned her undergraduate degree from Baylor, currently oversees educational and research programs for 11 schools and colleges at Baylor and their 250-degree programs. The Academic Affairs budget her administration manages, totals about $235 million annually.
Though the governing body has no formal statement on Davis’s new position, Patton said he thought Faculty Senators were very happy for her.
“We will miss her but we are gratified that Furman’s search team recognized in our Provost, the type of collaborative leader they wish to lead their university,” he said.
