Furman University to Hold Inauguration Ceremony for President Elizabeth Davis Thursday, March 19
March 11, 2015
GREENVILLE, SC – Dr. Elizabeth Davis will be formally installed as Furman University’s 12th president during an inaugural ceremony Thursday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m. in McAlister Auditorium.
Due to space limitations, the ceremony in McAlister is restricted to the Furman community and invited guests, and admission requires a ticket. A limited number of free tickets is being distributed to staff and students, and can be picked up at Timmons Arena on a first-come, first-served basis.
There will be closed circuit broadcasts of the ceremony in Shaw Hall of Younts Conference Center and in the Watkins Rooms of the Trone Student Center. Neither of those venues require tickets. The inauguration will also be streamed live on the Furman website.
The events in McAlister and the Trone Student Center are CLP.
Following the ceremony, all faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a noon luncheon on the Thomas Anderson Roe Art Building lawn.
During the inauguration, an academic event rich with symbolism, the Furman Board of Trustees will formally install Dr. Davis and confer upon her the oath of office. Delegates from other colleges and universities around the world will take part in the processional with alumni, student leaders, trustees and community leaders from South Carolina.
Davis, who began her duties as Furman’s president on July 1, 2014, will also present an inaugural address.
Davis came to Furman from Baylor University, where she spent 22 years as a member of the accounting faculty and rose to the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. She is a graduate of Baylor and received her Ph.D. from Duke University.
Davis is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and serves as an honorary member of the Board of Governors of the Commerce Club. She was recently named to Greenville Business Magazine’s “50 Most Influential People 2014.”
Here are the events that will take place on campus during inauguration week as part of the celebration:
Monday, March 16, 4 p.m.
Watkins Room, Trone Student Center
“A Publicly Engaged University: Furman’s Role in the Community and the World”
Faculty Panel Discussion on Public Engagement
Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m.
Shaw Hall, Younts Conference Center
Keynote Speaker: Nancy Cantor, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark
“Universities and the Public: Imagining Our Place”
Wednesday, March 18, 3:30 p.m.
Watkins Room, Trone Student Center
American Enterprise Lecture: Dani Rodrik, Ph.D.
Albert O. Hirschman Professor of Economics
School of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study
“Economics, Ideas and Interests”
3:30 p.m. | Watkins Room
Thursday, March 19
10:30 a.m., McAlister Auditorium
Inauguration Convocation
Noon, Thomas Anderson Roe Art Building Lawn
Campus Luncheon
