As a current student, I would say that the observation about conservative alumni isn't quite correct. Since becoming the president of Finland, Stubb has gotten far more press from Furman (U Comm and individual departments) and been the center of more discussion on campus than any Furman alumni currently in Democratic politics. Don't often hear about Jackson or Henderson. Riley is frequently promoted, but his ties to Furman are even stronger than the others because of the Riley Institute.
Thanks for the feedback, Clay. You make some good points, and I am glad to hear that the University is promoting Stubb. I met him when I studied abroad in Belgium and was impressed.
I should add: Stubb is considered a moderate conservative in European politics, but his position on the American political spectrum isn't quite clear.
I think this makes it easier for the university to promote him, whereas they seem to avoid touting the accomplishments of conservative alumni, especially those aligned with President Trump.
I agree — ideological positions in Europe often do not fit well in the American political spectrum. However, the above article describes Stubb as a conservative and lists him as the first example of Furman alumni working in conservative politics.
Stubb is likely promoted by Furman because he, as the president of a country, is a prominent, public-facing political figure. No other alumni mentioned in the article, conservative or liberal, have a similar level of political influence or notoriety (except for Riley, perhaps, given his impact on South Carolina and ongoing connection to the university).
Whether ideology factors into which alumni Furman and its professors promote is a question which only university administrators and professors themselves can answer, lest we rely on a degree of speculation. The example of Stubb, though, certainly does more to indicate that Furman is happy to promote conservative alumni working in politics rather than the contrary, as claimed in this article.
Stubb gave the commencement address in 2017. Stuckey spoke at Furman in 2018. Furman actively cultivates our relationship with these and many other conservative alumni. Your memory of your personal experience as a student might not be representative of what is generally true .
As a current student, I would say that the observation about conservative alumni isn't quite correct. Since becoming the president of Finland, Stubb has gotten far more press from Furman (U Comm and individual departments) and been the center of more discussion on campus than any Furman alumni currently in Democratic politics. Don't often hear about Jackson or Henderson. Riley is frequently promoted, but his ties to Furman are even stronger than the others because of the Riley Institute.
Thanks for the feedback, Clay. You make some good points, and I am glad to hear that the University is promoting Stubb. I met him when I studied abroad in Belgium and was impressed.
I should add: Stubb is considered a moderate conservative in European politics, but his position on the American political spectrum isn't quite clear.
I think this makes it easier for the university to promote him, whereas they seem to avoid touting the accomplishments of conservative alumni, especially those aligned with President Trump.
I agree — ideological positions in Europe often do not fit well in the American political spectrum. However, the above article describes Stubb as a conservative and lists him as the first example of Furman alumni working in conservative politics.
Stubb is likely promoted by Furman because he, as the president of a country, is a prominent, public-facing political figure. No other alumni mentioned in the article, conservative or liberal, have a similar level of political influence or notoriety (except for Riley, perhaps, given his impact on South Carolina and ongoing connection to the university).
Whether ideology factors into which alumni Furman and its professors promote is a question which only university administrators and professors themselves can answer, lest we rely on a degree of speculation. The example of Stubb, though, certainly does more to indicate that Furman is happy to promote conservative alumni working in politics rather than the contrary, as claimed in this article.
Stubb gave the commencement address in 2017. Stuckey spoke at Furman in 2018. Furman actively cultivates our relationship with these and many other conservative alumni. Your memory of your personal experience as a student might not be representative of what is generally true .