Announcements:
Welcome to 2026, a milestone year for Furman University as we celebrate our bicentennial.
To mark Furman’s 200th anniversary, the university will host its Opening Bicentennial Convocation on February 12.
Furman is also collecting stories from alumni and friends about moments that shaped the last two centuries of the university. If you have a memory from your time at Furman, we encourage you to submit it through the university’s bicentennial story portal.
Furman ranked 50th overall in City Journal’s 2025 College Rankings.
Furman placed 4th for student ideological pluralism, though our free speech policies and curriculum scored poorly.
Furman men’s soccer advanced to the College Cup—the sport’s equivalent of the Final Four.
High school seniors have until January 15 to apply to Furman. If you or your student would like more information, feel free to contact us at furmanfreespeech@gmail.com.
Furman Trivia:
What percentage of Furman faculty campaign donations in the 2023-24 election cycle went to liberal or Democratic causes?
A) 73%
B) 98%
C) 86%
D) 56%
*Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter!*
Six Resolutions for Furman in 2026:
As we enter the new year—and Furman’s third century—we offer six resolutions that aim to strengthen the university, enhance its climate for free speech, and help ensure a successful future.
1. Continue investing in the On Discourse initiative
On Discourse remains Furman’s most promising effort to promote free expression, critical thinking, and meaningful dialogue. According to its End-of-Year Report, in 2026 the initiative plans to:
Increase student-led programming
Create a unifying annual theme across departments
Launch two high-profile Signature Programs
Improve promotion through social media and newsletters
Establish an On Discourse Faculty/Staff Fellows Program
These are all encouraging developments, and we look forward to tracking the initiative’s continued growth.
2. Expand Furman’s partnership with Heterodox Academy
Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a growing network of professors dedicated to fostering open inquiry and viewpoint diversity in higher education. Last month, FFSA’s Alex Hibbs interviewed HxA president John Tomasi, who noted that Furman currently has a very small number of faculty participants—but emphasized the organization’s potential to help build a stronger culture of open inquiry on campus.
We know meaningful change often starts with just a few committed faculty members. In 2026, we encourage Furman professors—especially those already concerned about free expression—to work together to establish a stronger HxA presence on campus.
3. Reform orientation to emphasize debate and dialogue from day one
Orientation is incoming students’ first exposure to Furman’s campus culture. Unfortunately, it has too often been dominated by one-sided programming on controversial social issues, including past incidents where students expressing unpopular views were booed and jeered.
One of FFSA’s earliest goals was to introduce students to the value of free expression during orientation. While progress has been made elsewhere, this issue remains unresolved. President Davis, we hope you will make this a priority in 2026.
4. Reform the Pathways Program
Pathways—Furman’s relatively new two-year advising program—is one of the most significant changes to the student experience in recent years. While it offers some benefits, students and faculty alike have raised substantial concerns about its structure, scope, and implementation.
We will be reporting more on Pathways in the coming months, but for now we believe 2026 should be the year Furman seriously evaluates and reforms this program.
5. Increase Furman’s overall enrollment
Last year, Fitch Ratings revised Furman’s credit outlook from stable to negative, citing concerns about the university’s increasingly vulnerable enrollment profile. Simply put, creditors are worried Furman is not enrolling enough students to remain financially secure.
Reversing recent enrollment trends (see graph below) will not be easy amid falling birthrates and rising costs. But we believe Furman can differentiate itself by making free speech and open inquiry a core part of its identity—and a key selling point for prospective students.
6. Improve Furman’s ranking with FIRE
Furman ranked 163rd of 248 schools in FIRE’s 2023 free speech rankings, fell to 221st in 2024, and improved modestly to 195th in 2025. That movement shows it is possible to improve Furman’s ranking when leadership takes concrete steps to improve the campus climate for free speech.
Two additional reforms would go a long way in 2026:
Adopt institutional neutrality, pledging not to take sides in political controversies.
Align Furman’s sexual misconduct policies with Supreme Court free speech standards.
You can read more about Furman’s current FIRE ranking and recommended reforms here.
CLPs of the Month:
Furman students must attend 32 Cultural Life Programs (CLPs) to graduate. CLPs are university-approved events meant to “enrich” and “build community.”
Here are some interesting CLPs from January:
On Thursday, January 15, “Law and Leadership Worldwide”
On Friday, January 16, “Building the Beloved Community”
Both events honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Trivia Answer:
B — 98% of Furman faculty campaign donations in the 2023–24 election cycle went to liberal or Democratic causes according to City Journal.
Excellent update and overview. Keep up the great work. My wife and I, both Furman graduates, have not donated to Furman since the George Bush debacle. That incident convinced us that Furman had moved far away from the highly diverse and accepting culture it had when we were there in the mid/late 70’s. We will again contribute to Furman if many of the changes you recommend are implemented. The fact that 98% of Furman faculty donated to Democrat and/or liberal causes speaks volumes about the lack of diversity in the administration. This must change.