Furman President David Shi to Attend Forum for Excellence at Harvard University

GREENVILLE, SC – Furman University president David Shi is among 25 higher education leaders who have been invited to attend the annual Forum for Excellence in Higher Education that will take place at Harvard University March 14-15.

 The gathering, which is sponsored by Harvard’s Forum on Excellence and Innovation in Higher Education, will bring together a select group of colleges and universities to discuss ideas to help strengthen the quality and value of the undergraduate experience on their campuses.

 The Forum on Excellence and Innovation in Higher Education, which is based at Harvard, is dedicated to strengthening undergraduate education in America.  It is led by Professor Richard Light at Harvard, and by Dr.Michael McPherson, President of The Spencer Foundation and former president of Macalester College.

Shi has been president of Furman since 1994.  He is the author of several books, including The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture (1985).  He is also co-author of the best-selling textbook, America: a Narrative History, now in its seventh edition.

 He is a member of the board of directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and, in 2006-07, he chaired the Board of Directors for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.  He is also a member of the Chronicle of Higher Education/New York Times Higher Education Cabinet, a group of presidents and chancellors charged with identifying the key issues and trends in higher education.  A 1973 graduate of Furman, he holds M.A. and Ph.D.degrees in history from the University of Virginia.

 For more information, contact Furman’s Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.