Furman University - Bonhomie Yearbook (Greenville, SC)

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Administration: The Key to Survival Objectives, goals and quotas dominated the Furman Family as the administration began to apply lessons learned from its experiment in institutional planning. Increased efficiency, accountability, and control will save Furman from the bankruptcy destroying many other institutions. Applying Twentieth Century bureaucratic techniques, the administration responds to the wishes and needs of alumni, faculty, contributors, parents, and students. Faculty and students influence decisions through Furman's vast committee system. This year committees covered every subject from studying the status of women at Furman to choosing a new football coach. Those who supply life-giving money to the university were wooed and informed at events such as Homecoming, Patriot Day, Parent's Day, and the Founder's Circle Banquet. Last year the system netted a $300,000 surplus and embarrassed an administration which raised tuition and sought to limit faculty salary spending. With better planning, the administration hopes to avoid another large surplus. Furman's administration is the key to survival. It encourages innovation, responds to pressure groups, attacks problems, and attempts to balance the budget — all with remarkable success. However, with the new emphasis on publicity, profit, and planning, faculty and students are beginning to wonder if education and values could be lost in a struggle for financial security. TOP LEFT: Francis VV. Bonner. Vice President and Provost. LEFT: W. Moffett Kendrick. Vice President for Development. ABOVE: Wayne Weaver. Vice President for Business Affairs Administration 27

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The Man at the Top Gordon Williams Blackwell — president of Furman University, distinguished administrator. educator, and author. An abbreviated biographical sketch reads like this: The University's eighth president. A 1932 summa cum laude graduate of Furman, where he was captain and number-one man on the tennis team, editor of the literary magazine, and president of his social fraternity. Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. Past professor and chairman of Furman's Sociology Department. Former Kenan Professor, the most prestigious rank at Chapel Hill. A widely known sociologist who has authored or coauthored six books and more than 50 articles on problems of the South, community relations, and higher education. Son of a Baptist minister, a 1903 Furman graduate who named the Bonhomie. These are the straight biographical facts; but how do Furman students view Cordon W. Blackwell their president, the man they candidly call ''Flash''? Most students like and admire him; at the very worst, a few ignore him. Blackwell has diligently tried to bring the Furman administration and student body into a closer week-to-week dialogue by establishing an open-door policy for students and by placing students on most administrative and faculty, Board of Trustees, and Advisory' Council committees. And the students who have worked with him have been impressed. Blackwell laments that few students take his open-door policy seriously. So he has reached out further with his annual Christmas drop-in and Freshmen Reception. Again students have been impressed. Unlike many colleges, Furman has no impeach the president movement. The vast majority of students sincerely like the man at the top, while a typical few have no opinion at all. As one student stated: He does a good job in a position that I wouldn’t take for anything in the world. ministration

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RIGHT: Ldgar V. McKnight. Associate Dean. BELOW: C. Stuart Patterson. Academic Dean. 28 Administration