Furman University Receives $1 Million Grant from the Duke Endowment
June 13, 2010
GREENVILLE, SC – June 13, 2010 – The Duke Endowment of Charlotte,N.C., has awarded Furman University a $1 million grant to support thework of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability.
The Shi Center promotes the study of sustainability both on campus andin the greater Greenville community. Located in Cliffs Cottage, it isnamed in honor of Furman president David Shi, who is retiring June 30after 16 years as president.
According to The Duke Endowment trustees, the gift was made inappreciation of the pioneering role that Furman University and presidentShi have played in promoting sustainability.
“Our founder, James B. Duke, had a vision for the future that heexpressed through innovative philanthropy,” said Neil Williams, atrustee of The Duke Endowment and chair of the Committee on EducationalInstitutions. “Furman’s sustainability goals echo Mr. Duke’sforward-thinking, long-range approach, and we’re pleased to play a rolein the university’s efforts.”Thanks to The Duke Endowment gift, theuniversity has now raised a total of $2.7 million for the Shi Center’sendowment. In addition to contributions from Furman trustees, otherleadership gifts have come from Tom and Becky Hash, the GrahamFoundation and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, an independentlicensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. In all, over300 donors have made contributions to the Shi Center.
Since 2007, Furman has received $11.7 million in support of itssustainability efforts, including donations toward the construction ofCliffs Cottage and the recent $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energygrant to install geothermal systems at the North Village apartments oncampus.
Having adopted sustainability as a primary strategic goal for theuniversity, Furman is among the leaders in higher education promotingenvironmental awareness and energy conservation. The university was acharter signatory to the American College and University PresidentsClimate Commitment, and it has been named one of the country’s mostenvironmentally conscious colleges and universities by KIWI Magazine andthe Sierra Club.
Furman is one of four educational institutions to receive perennialfunding from The Duke Endowment of Charlotte, N.C. The Endowment seeksto fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by enriching lives andcommunities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care,rural churches and children’s services.
