GREENVILLE, S.C, March 13, 2006 - More of Furman University’s graduates have gone to earn Ph.D. degrees in recent years than any other private liberal arts college in the South, according to a survey conducted by the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center.

Furman had 308 graduates receive terminal degrees in their field from 1996 to 2003, which was the top figure among Southern liberal arts colleges.  The university ranked 18th overall among the nation’s liberal arts colleges.

“The fact that a remarkably large number of our graduates go on to earn Ph.D. degrees is an indication of the extent to which a Furman education stokes the intellectual fires of our students,” said Dr. Thomas Kazee, vice president for academic affairs and dean. “This suggests that we not only attract students with a high level of intellectual curiosity, but that our faculty have created a community in which that curiosity is nurtured and extended.”

Furman was also among a handful of private college and universities to show marked improvement in the category of Ph.D. recipients.  From 1990 to 1995, 189 Furman alumni received Ph.D.s, ranking the university 23rd.   In addition to Furman, the only schools to advance five or more places in the rankings were Williams ( Mass.) College, Amherst (Mass.) College and Grinnell (Iowa) College.

Other Southern schools ranked in the survey included Davidson College in North Carolina (33rd), Rhodes College in Tennessee (60th), Washington and Lee University in Virginia (71st) and University of the South in Tennessee (73rd).

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

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