Furman graduate and violinist Seth Gilliard, who goes by the stage name Seth G, wows crowds in Charleston, S.C., with hip-hop-inspired original songs and adaptations of pop hits like Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You,” and Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” But he’s also a classical music buff—he was concertmaster for the Furman Symphony Orchestra while studying music at the university—and he’s got serious chops. For his upcoming Piccolo Spoleto concert, Gilliard will show off the full scope of his talent.
Bieber, Bach and Seth G
Looking to the future
Dana Thorpe, the new executive director of the Upcountry History Museum-Furman, comes to Greenville with 28 years of museum experience, from children’s museums to historical societies. She was director of exhibits at Chicago’s famous Shedd Aquarium for four years. But she’s always had a passion for history, and so it seems fitting that she finally has made it to a history museum.
Professor Shaner on getting “un-stuck”
David Shaner, the Herring Professor of Asian Studies and Philosophy Emeritus at Furman, has recorded a TED-x talk about getting “un-stuck” and helping the mind and body become one. The idea behind the talk is to improve people’s performances in business, education, government, athletics, music and daily life.
Shaner is the principal at CONNECT LLC Performance Development Consultants and is author of the book, The Seven Arts of Change: Leading Business Transformation That Lasts. He is also an internationally renowned teacher of Ki-Aikido and holds a Seventh Degree Black Belt. He has taught at Harvard University, was a member of the Olympic Valley USA Ski Team, and has served as a Fulbright Scholar in India.
$1 million commitment for Study Away
GREENVILLE, S.C.—Furman University has received a $1 million commitment that will provide need-based scholarships for students participating in the university’s Study Away program.
The pledge was made by David and Leighan Rinker of Atlantis, Fla., who have been generous donors to Furman for more than 25 years. The program will now be named the David and Leighan Rinker Center for Study Away and International Education.
“This is a transformative gift that will greatly enhance the vitality and academic quality of our faculty-led travel study programs,” said Dr. John Beckford, Furman’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean. “The Rinkers’ generous commitment will allow even more Furman students to take advantage of an exciting array of study away programs, both in the U.S. and abroad. It will also encourage our faculty to continue exploring possibilities for new travel programs.”
Furman’s Study Away opportunities range from intensive, three-week May Experience courses to semester or year-long programs in the U.S. and throughout the world. Furman currently offers programs in 37 countries, and approximately 45 percent of Furman students participate in Study Away programs during their time at the university.
“We have always loved the words of St. Augustine, who said, ‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page,’” said David and Leighan Rinker. “It was our desire to help create an entire ‘library’ of books that Furman students could experience.”
The Rinkers are founders of Furman’s Partners Scholarship program, and are members of the Benefactors Circle. They are also former members of the Parents Council, and three of the couple’s four children, a son-in-law, and daughter-in-law are graduates of Furman.
Leighan Rinker has served multiple terms on the Furman Board of Trustees, including a term as chair. A strong advocate of early childhood education, she is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned M.Ed., Ed.S. and Ed.D. degrees at Florida Atlantic University, where she received the Professional and Human Services Outstanding Graduate Student Award. She received an honorary doctorate from Furman in 2004.
David Rinker is chairman of the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr., Foundation, Inc., in Atlantis, Fla. He has supported travel study programs at numerous other colleges, including Stetson University, his alma mater. He has served on Stetson’s Board of Trustees since 1987, including two terms as chair, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the university in 2007. He holds an Ed.D. in Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University.
For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107 or visit the Furman website.
Furman students enjoy their visit to the Taj Mahal in India.
Love among the ruins
Hayden Couvillion
Love transcends class definitions. It doesn’t favor public or private schools, and it resides in both the neighborhoods that build walls and those that exist on the other side of those walls. To suggest otherwise is baseless and more so an indicator of ignorance. In an op-ed for The Greenville News, Furman student Hayden Couvillion wrote about some of the lessons he learned at summer camp.
Couvillion, a sophomore majoring in in political science and sustainability science, is from Greenville.
Edmund White to give reading Tuesday, May 28
Edmund White, one of America’s most gifted and celebrated writers, will give a public reading on campus Tuesday, May 28 at 7 p.m. in Patrick Lecture Hall of the Townes Science Center. The reading is free, and a reception with the author will follow.
Calling all cooks
Share your favorite recipes with Furman’s Staff Advisory Committee’s first ever cookbook! Proceeds benefit the Staff Community Fund Scholarship. E-mail bartley.sides@furman.edu.
Phi Beta Kappa welcomes new members
GREENVILLE, S.C.—Fifty-three Furman University students were elected this spring to the school’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic society.
Founded in 1776 during the American Revolution, Phi Beta Kappa celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its campus chapters induct the most outstanding students at America’s leading colleges and universities, and only about 10 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher education have Phi Beta Kappa chapters.
Here are the newest members from the class of 2013:
Susanna Gaddy Lee Alexander – Mathematics
Brent Wallace Anderson – Biology and History
Ahlam Michelle Armaly – Chemistry
Elizabeth Jane Bleed – Mathematics
Margaret Drew Bongiovanni – Art History
Anna Marie Bower – Philosophy (Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies )
Chelsea Patterson Brewer – Sociology and Classics
Matthew Edward Brown – Economics and Political Science
Emma Joanne Byland – Health Sciences
Hsiao-Wen Cheng – English
Adam Christian Collins – Cello Performance
Samantha Rose Condon – Spanish (Latin American Studies, Health Sciences)
James Buren Crockett – Health Sciences
Taylor Nicole Davidson – English (Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
Ahmad Rami Dbouk – Philosophy and Biochemistry
Maranda Marie DeBusk – Theatre Arts
Serena Jinju Doose – Asian Studies and Earth and Environmental Sciences
Tyler Steven Droll – Information Technology
Cameron Lenore Egan – Economics
Jacquelyn Taylor Gilbert – Chemistry
Anne Elizabeth Goodgame – French and History
Mark Odell Helms – Church Music
Laura Gayle Hinson – Sociology
Mary Katherine Hornack – Biology
Julie Kathleen Jarriel – English (Secondary Education)
Sarah Ellen Johnson – Asian Studies (ESOL)
Kristen Elizabeth Kailer – Business Administration
Adam Douglas Lalor – Economics and History
Aaron Douglass Markham – Mathematics
Amanda Marie Michalski – Political Science and German Studies
Brian Carl Lodovico Neumann – History
Julia Celeste Peay – Neuroscience
Elise Annette Prete – Mathematics
Nathan Kent Reeves – Vocal Performance
Hillary Denise Rodgers – Chemistry
Benjamin Robert Saul – Political Science (Poverty Studies)
Kirsten Alyssa Scheil – Psychology
Mary Grace Short – Economics
Hannah Marie Smith – Psychology
Jennifer Leigh Summers – French and Biology
John Stephen Tagert – Political Science
Zachary Siegfried Treu – English and Communication Studies
Kyle B. Vinson – Psychology
Kaleigh Victoria Ward – Sociology (Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
Emily Elizabeth Wirzba – Philosophy, Political Science (Poverty Studies)
Karen Naomi Woods – Health Sciences
From the class of 2014:
Rachel Helen Alison – History and Spanish
Catherine Grace Burton – Chemistry
Christina Dorismond – Chemistry
Seth Michael Greenstein – Computer Science
Horace Rhodes Hambrick – Biochemistry
Charlotta Amelia Holt – Political Science, History, Chinese Studies (Poverty Studies)
Stella Coker Watson – Mathematics
NPR profiles Judy Clarke
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and Arizona mass shooter Jared Loughner all have one thing in common: defense attorney Judy Clarke. With her help, all three avoided the death penalty. Clarke, a 1974 Furman graduate, routinely faces an enraged public, top-notch prosecutors and difficult, often disturbed clients. Now, she is likely to face those things again with another high-profile client, alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Clarke, who avoids all publicity, was the subject of a profile on the Weekend Edition of National Public Radio.
A native of Asheville, N.C., Clarke graduated from Furman with a degree in psychology before earning her law degree at the University of South Carolina. She has spent most of her career in California and the Pacific Northwest.
Seman joins Furman development office
Liz Seman
GREENVILLE, S.C—Liz Seman, executive director of Meals On Wheels of Greenville for the past six years, has joined Furman University as executive director of Corporate Engagement.
Seman, who began work at Furman in April, reports to the Vice President for Development.
Seman has lived in Greenville since 1999 and began her nonprofit career with the American Red Cross, serving first as director of Volunteer and Community Relations and then as director of Development. She also served as the executive director for Hands On Greenville before joining Meals On Wheels in 2007.
She is a member of Greenville County Council, serving her second term representing District 24. She is also a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (SC-TAC) and the Meals on Wheels Association of America.
Seman has served on the board of directors of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Greenville Forward, the Junior League of Greenville, the Leadership Greenville Alumni Association, the Palmetto Bank Community Board, Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Board, Community Works Carolina and the Advisory Board of the American Red Cross
She is a graduate of Leadership Greenville Class XXVII and Diversity Leadership Academy Class IV. She was one of the YWCA Dream Achievers in 2006 and was named one of Greenville’s Top 25 under 35 in 2003. A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, Seman and her husband, Steve, have one son, Walker.
For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.
