GREENVILLE, S.C.—Furman University is one of only four universities in the nation to receive a top rating for its teacher education program, according to a report released today.

Photo courtesy of shutterstock.com

Furman joined Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and Ohio State universities as the only schools to receive four stars in the study compiled by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).  According to NCTQ, the programs that rated highly in its report “combine an eye for the talent teachers need, strong content knowledge preparation, and well-structured opportunities to practice the craft of teaching.”

“We are immensely proud of our teacher preparation program, of our students and our faculty, and we are very appreciative of the support from Furman’s administrators,” said Nelly Hecker, chair of the university’s education department. “In celebrating our program, we acknowledge the high quality of our teacher candidates and our graduates’ many accomplishments.”

Hecker added that the program “owes its strength to outstanding faculty who engage teacher candidates in practices supported by empirical evidence and to strong partnerships with public school districts that provide excellent mentors. The retention of our graduates in the field of education has dramatically increased since we extended our teacher preparation program to a fifth year of study giving our candidates more time to enroll in content courses and more time to teach under the guidance of master practitioners and mentors.”

Furman’s teacher education program is nationally known for its high entrance and exit standards. After four years of study and following graduation, Furman’s teacher candidates are required to spend an additional semester completing their teaching internship.  Furman graduates 30-50 teacher candidates each year.

NCTQ assigned overall program ratings to 1,200 teacher education programs, with 0 being the lowest rating and 4 the highest.  There were 105 that earned three or more stars and only four that received the top rating.

Furman’s teacher education program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).  It is also a member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER), and the South Carolina Network for Educational Renewal (SCNER).

For more information, visit the Furman education department website or call the Furman News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

Photo courtesy of flickr contributor Brandon Carson

When the Rolling Stones performed in concert at the TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday as part of their “50 & Counting” tour, two Furman graduates were there to help Mick Jagger and the boys with some very important vocals. Boston University’s Marsh Chapel Choir, led by 1997 Furman music graduate Scott Jarrett, was on stage to accompany the Stones on their iconic anthem, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The campus-based choir, which includes professional singers as well as students and BU alumni, included 2000 Furman graduate and Boston resident Graham Wright. Jarrett told BU Today that singing with the Stones in front of nearly 19,000 people is a “gig beyond his wildest imagination.”

Read more at BU Today

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In partnership with Furman University, The Upcountry History Museum is sponsoring a ‘Lunchbox Learning’ series to showcase interesting and unexpected aspects of South Carolina history. Wednesday’s feature, held noon to 1 p.m., will discuss the evolution of golf in South Carolina. It will showcase never-before-seen documents dating back to 1739 proving the delivery of golf equipment to Charleston.

This delivery pre-dates all other colonies, making South Carolina truly the ‘first’ in golf history. The lecture will also address South Carolina’s early golf courses and other golf ‘firsts’ achieved in the state.  The program will be led by Faye Jensen, Executive Director of the South Carolina Historical Society. The program is free to all faculty and staff with Furman ID and $3 for all OLLI members.

For more information see the upcountry history museum website.

It is shaping up to be a busy week at Furman, as Timmons Arena is to house a score of high school graduations this Wednesday and Thursday.  More than 3,000 community members are expected to be on campus for each graduation.

University police are advising faculty, staff and students to avoid using the Timmons Gate during these ceremonies.

On Wednesday, Commencement ceremonies will be held for Travelers Rest High School (9 a.m.), Blue Ridge (2 p.m.) and Woodmont (7 p.m.). Thursday’s schedule includes Wade Hampton ( 9 a.m.),  Berea (2 p.m.) and J.L. Mann (7 p.m.).

Doors will open an hour before each ceremony. The university community should wait until traffic is settled and parked before navigating around the Timmons area. In the event that the parking cannot be accommodated within the Timmons arena parking, it will be diverted to the Chapel lot.

Furman University’s Music by the Lake Summer Concert Series, a Greenville tradition since 1968, is currently underway in the university’s amphitheater.

Celebrating the “Sounds of Summer,” the Lakeside Concert Band, under the direction of Furman’s Leslie W. Hicken, and other ensembles and guests will present a concert every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the amphitheater (except where noted). The performances are free and open to the public and showcase a cross-section of Big Band, Jazz, Bluegrass, Latin, Contemporary, Marches and Orchestral favorites.

Each Thursday during the series, a concert picnic basket filled with goodies will be given

away.

The concerts are made possible by Furman and are sponsored by the Bank of Travelers Rest, George Coleman Ford (Travelers Rest), Publix Super Markets Charities, The Woodlands at Furman, The Greenville News and greenvilleonline.com.

Go online to www.furmanmusic.org for more information or contact the Furman music office at 864-294-2086. For parking information call 864-294-2111. Bus parking is available. A link to the complete schedule may be found here. A complete schedule also follows:

Furman Music by the Lake

Summer Concert Series 2013

Leslie W. Hicken, Director

Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.

Lakeside Amphitheater

May 23 Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble: Tom Wright, director

May 30 “New York, New York”

Carolina Youth Symphony: Leslie W. Hicken

June 6 “Marches from Around the World”

Lakeside Concert Band: Leslie W. Hicken, director

June 13 Swing Shift Combo: John Hoppe, director

June 20 “Rhapsody in Blue”: Derek Parsons, piano soloist

Lakeside Concert Band: Leslie W. Hicken, director

Note: Location will be McAlister Auditorium

June 27 “Above the Fruited Plain” Patriotic Celebration

The Greenville Chorale: Bing Vick, director

Lakeside Concert Band: Leslie W. Hicken, director

–                     No performance July 4th.

July 11 “The Kings of Swing”: Bob Chesebro, clarinet soloist

Lakeside Concert Band: Leslie W. Hicken, director

July 18 Bluegrass Night: The Andy Carlson Band

7 p.m. prelude: SC Suzuki Institute Fiddlers, Anna Joiner, institute director

July 25 The Matt Olson Jazz Quartet: Matt Olson, director

August 1 “Circus Days”

Lakeside Concert Band: Leslie W. Hicken, director

Three 2013 Furman University graduates have been awarded English Teaching Assistantships from the Fulbright Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The students are:

• Sarah Johnson (Travelers Rest). Johnson graduated magna cum laude in Asian Studies. She is the daughter of Nila Yount of Travelers Rest.  Johnson has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Taiwan.
• Amanda Michalski (Kingsport, Tenn.). Graduating summa cum laude in political science and German studies, Michalski received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Germany. She is the daughter of James and Sharon Michalski of Kingsport, Tenn.
• Anastasia Spratley (York). Spratley graduated magna cum laude in history and has earned a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in South Korea. She is the daughter of William and Cynthia Spratley of York.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 310,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

For more information call the Furman News and Media Relations Office at (864) 294-3107.

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.

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

Dr. Courtney Tollison

GREENVILLE, S.C.—The Upcountry History Museum-Furman University will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling, Peterson v. Greenville, with a public lecture by historian Courtney Tollison Monday, May 20 at 11 a.m. in the museum.

The lecture, “Lunch Counters and Legal Challenges:  A 50-Year Retrospective of Peterson v. Greenville,” is free to members of the museum.  The cost for guests is $5.

Dr. Tollison, the Upcountry History Museum’s historian and a history professor at Furman, will talk about the landmark case that originated in Greenville during the Civil Rights Movement and effectively desegregated lunch counters throughout the country.

The lecture details the events that occurred on Greenville’s Main Street, the arrests from the summer of 1960, and the subsequent legal challenges that were ultimately resolved by the United States Supreme Court on May 20, 1963.

The Upcountry History Museum/Furman University is located at 540 Buncombe Street on Heritage Green in downtown Greenville.  For reservations to the lecture, call the museum at 864-467-3100.

Sister Peggy O'Neill

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Long-time El Salvador peace activist Sister Peggy O’Neill will serve as commencement speaker when Furman University holds its graduation exercises Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium.

The public is invited to attend.  In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to Timmons Arena and admittance will be by ticket only.

The day will include an 11 a.m. baccalaureate service in McAlister Auditorium.  That ceremony is reserved for graduates and their guests and is not open to the public.

Graduating senior Jack Farnsworth, a mathematics major from Athens, Ga., will be the student speaker at commencement.

Furman will award approximately 590 undergraduate and graduate degrees during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live via streaming video on the Furman website (www.furman.edu).  The university will also award Sister Peggy an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

Jack Farnsworth

Farnsworth, who completed his hours in December, has been teaching fifth grade math this spring at Veritas Classical School in Richmond, Va.  He will teach geometry and trigonometry in the fall.  While at Furman, he worked as a chaplain at prisons and hospitals in and around Greenville through the Exploration of Vocational Ministry program.  He also played on the rugby team for four years, and spent two summers doing research in mathematics.

Sister Peggy, a nun with the Sisters of Charity, has been living and working in El Salvador since 1987. She went there to accompany a community returning from a U.N. refugee camp in Honduras during the nation’s civil war.  She ended up staying for the remainder of the war and has decided to devote the rest of her life to helping that community.  Her efforts include the founding of Centro Arte Para la Paz, a center designed to promote psychological and emotional healing through the arts.

Before going to El Salvador, Sister Peggy earned a Ph.D. degree in theology from New York University and taught religion and theology classes for nearly 20 years at Iona and Barry colleges.  She also teaches at the University of Central America in El Salvador.

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