Furman University's new president comes to the job with a vested interest in the quality of its programs.

Rod Smolla is not only a nationally known lawyer, author and dean of the Washington and Lee School of Law - he's also the father of a Furman freshman.

His legal background generated informal discussions with university officials about the possibility of Furman starting a law school, Smolla said. But he said that wasn't a factor in his coming here.

"It was not a part of the interview process, other than a few people causally mentioned it had been something that had been floated out," he said in a telephone interview with The Greenville News on Monday from Richmond, Va. "But I have not studied it, thought about it. It wasn't part of my program or anything."

Former Gov. Dick Riley, a member of the presidential search committee, said Smolla wasn't picked because of any interest in starting a law school at Furman.

"I don't think that had anything to do directly with the choice," Riley said. "The choice was made because Rod Smolla was a very interesting and qualified person. And I'm really excited about him coming to Furman."

Smolla stood out among the candidates during his visit to Furman two weeks ago, Riley said. "On that day on the campus was when he kind of pulled ahead, with the faculty, with the senior staff members, with the students, with the trustees," he said.

Smolla said he has had a longstanding admiration for Furman's "vibrant academic program" and its emphasis on "the moral and spiritual development of its students."

But he "got intensely interested" in Furman when it was his son's first choice for college.

"When David Shi announced his retirement, both the great reputation it had within higher education circles and the affection that we had developed for it as a family combined to make it a wonderfully attractive opportunity," Smolla said.

Furman will introduce Smolla today as its 11th president at a 2 p.m. news conference in Shaw Hall of the Younts Conference Center, according to a statement from university.

He will take office after Shi retires in June.

Smolla was one of three finalists in a national presidential search who visited Furman's campus this month.

Furman officials were unavailable for comment Monday, spokesman Vince Moore said.

Washington and Lee president Kenneth P. Ruscio said Smolla will remain in his current position through the end of the academic year.

"On both a personal and a professional level, I am very sorry to be losing Dean Smolla," Ruscio said in a statement. "But it is not the least surprising that Furman would have chosen him as its president, and I know that he will be an outstanding leader of that very fine institution."

Jason Zacher, president of the Washington and Lee Alumni Association's Greenville chapter, said Furman shares many similarities with Washington and Lee in the type of student body and quality of education and that Smolla will be a good fit for Furman.

"This is a big achievement for Furman and a big loss for Washington and Lee," Zacher said. "Dean Smolla revolutionized W&L's law school curriculum and cemented its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country."

Smolla said his vision for Furman is to continue to strengthen its new curriculum and engaged learning programs, its commitment to sustainability and deep involvement with Greenville and South Carolina.

He wants to be "an energetic campaigner" in making sure Furman has the financial resources to maintain the quality of its programs and to make the university accessible to students of all backgrounds.

He also wants to broaden Furman's reach nationally and internationally and to tell its story to a wider audience.

Smolla is the Roy L. Steinheimer Professor of Law at Washington and Lee School of Law in addition to being dean. Previously he was dean and Allen Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and, prior to that, director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at the College of William and Mary.

He served as law clerk to Judge Charles Clark on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, according to a statement from Washington and Lee. He also practiced law in Chicago at the firm of Mayer, Brown, and Platt.

He is a 1975 graduate of Yale University and graduated first in his class from Duke Law School in 1978.

Shi was named president in 1994. He announced his retirement plans in May and will stay through the transition period until Smolla takes over July 1.

Shi said he plans to return to his first love - teaching and writing about American history.

ANDERSON, SC – Anderson University jumped four spots to #21 in the top tier of the southern region for 2011 according to the just-released rankings from U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Anderson University was ranked the #1 “Up and Coming” school of its kind in the South – the first time it has achieved the top ranking.

The magazine publishes a list of universities in America that “other schools should be watching,” called the “Up and Coming” list. Anderson has earned inclusion on that list for three consecutive years. The number of schools selected nationally as “Up and Coming” has been narrowed from 77 last year to just 68 this year. The list of 68 was divided into regions with Anderson taking the top spot among colleges in The South ahead of High Point in North Carolina (2) and Campbellsville in Kentucky (3).

“We are always very pleased when our quality is recognized in the various annual rankings, particularly those based on a combination of both objective institutional data and peer assessment,” said Anderson University president Evans Whitaker.  “Our faculty and students continue to distinguish our institution through their many accomplishments and we are delighted that their work seems to gain increased attention with each passing year.”  

Classes begin Wednesday at Anderson, which appears to be on track to shatter last year’s record enrollment. Although the final headcount won’t be official for several weeks, a record 611 new students arrived on campus over last weekend compared to the record 547 last year.

Anderson University is a comprehensive university affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention offering bachelors and masters degrees. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier (top 21) of colleges and universities in the South, and one of 68 “Up and Coming” schools to watch in America,” by U. S. News & World Report. It is the #1 “Up and Coming” school in The South according to that publication.  Anderson has also been named one of “Americas 100 Best College Buys,” Located in The Upstate region of South Carolina near the foothills of the Appalachians, Anderson University features a rigorous education in a supportive Christian environment.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Chronicle of Higher Education has designated Furman University one of the best universities for employment in the nation as a result of the publication’s annual Great Colleges survey.

Furman was one of 77 four-year institutions recognized in the publication’s “2010 Great Colleges to Work For” program. For the second year in a row, Furman was named to the Honor Roll of Top 10 colleges in the small school enrollment category.

Furman made the Great Colleges Honor Roll for institutions with 2,999 or fewer students, and employees surveyed at the private liberal arts university gave Furman high marks in eight of 12 categories.

With the Great Colleges program, The Chronicle seeks to provide “unbiased reporting on which colleges are being innovative in their workplace practices,” according to Jeffrey J. Selingo, editor of The Chronicle.

Each year the publication invites schools to participate in the survey. ModernThink LLC administers the Great Colleges survey and analyzes the results.

This year 277 institutions participated, with more than 42,500 administrators, faculty members and professional support staff randomly selected for survey. An audit of demographics and policies and practices at each school also was conducted. However, The Chronicle emphasized that the primary factor in deciding whether a school was recognized was employee feedback.

Furman drew praise in the following categories: professional/career development programs; teaching environment; compensation and benefits; facilities, workspaces and security; job satisfaction and support; confidence in senior leadership; supervisor or department-chair relationship; and tenure clarity and process.

Based in Washington, D.C., The Chronicle of Higher Education is viewed as a top source for news, information and job listings for academia. The weekly print edition has a total readership of 350,000. The publication’s website traffic includes more than 12 million page views a month with roughly a million unique visitors.

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

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In today’s business world, it takes more than professional skills to succeed. It takes professional behavior – critical thinking, problem-solving and good communications, for example.

Wofford College has created The Center for Professional Excellence to ensure its students and recent graduates are acquiring those behaviors, and skills, to make them more successful as they enter their careers. The approach gives them an 18- to 24-month advantage over those graduating from other colleges and universities. “This is where the real advantage to our program exists,” says Scott Cochran, dean of The Center, a newly created office that encompasses six distinct programs – including traditional career services.

“We are connecting the dots,” says Cochran, himself a transplant from the corporate world who brings his experience to bear on how the college is approaching student preparation. He promises that Wofford’s program is “not your father’s ‘career services office.’” It is much more than job placement and creating resumes, though traditional career services such as these still exist within The Center.

Programs within The Center provide students opportunities in consulting roles, helping small businesses solve real-world problems, and the chance to engage in international internship experiences in locations such as Europe and Asia.

As a new approach, says Cochran, Wofford’s program will be “the prototype for career services of the future.”

Cochran himself, with his business background, provides an extra element to enhance the Wofford program. He says he’s unaware of any campus career services office overseen by someone with his business background.

Cochran, who earned an economics degree from Wofford in 1988 and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 1995, was vice president of marketing, technology and credit card services for UPS Capital before coming to Wofford in July 2008. Before joining UPS Capital in 2001, he served in a number of senior management roles in finance, operations, sales and marketing with GMAC financial services, including two years in Germany, designing and implementing a marketing structure for GMAC Europe.

With Cochran’s promotion to dean of The Center for Professional Excellence, Jennifer A. Dillenger, a 2007 Wofford graduate who has served as assistant director of Career Services, has assumed additional responsibilities as director of Career Services within The Center. “Jennifer has been instrumental in the growth of Career Services and will continue to provide valuable leadership in her expanded role,” says Dr. David S. Wood, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean at Wofford.

In addition as part of the personnel reorganization, Kris Neely, a 2002 graduate of Wofford and former director of the Success Initiative, was appointed in March as assistant dean for the visual arts and instructor in visual arts. He will devote his time to strengthening the college’s programs in this important area.

The Center for Professional Excellence encompasses these six distinct programs:

• SUCCESS INITIATIVE. This is a scholarship-supported, projects-based student-led learning community, grounded in the liberal arts. While it is an academic program, it carries no academic credit, complementing the academic curriculum without replacing any part of it. Among its core competencies are critical thinking, communications, knowledge of self and others, creativity and collaborative problem solving.

• VENTURE. This is an entrepreneurial program, designed to support students in developing a business concept and helping them to launch it. They spend a school year working on their idea with a goal of opening the business. Along the way, they get solid advice from venture advisors. Nine companies are participating in this year’s venture program.

• BOSTON TERRIER CONSULTING GROUP. Named for Wofford’s mascot, the Boston Terrier, students offer consulting advice to businesses and organizations. Currently, this group is working with four projects.

• INSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. This five-week, summer resident program offers students a substantial set of skills necessary for the professional workplace. Student teams are assigned to a real-world business facing challenges and in need of assistance. “This is a robust consulting project that will prepare students for challenges” they’ll face after graduation, Cochran says. Along the way, students learn leadership development, how to leverage technology effectively, public speaking and presentation skills, executive writing, understanding global issues, project managements, networking and business etiquette.

• SOPHOMORE EXPERIENCE. This is a two-day conference offered to sophomores that focuses on the characteristics and behaviors that lead to success. In addition to such topics as leadership, communication, networking, dress for success and etiquette, students are involved in a team case competition and also hear from a top business executive.

• CAREER SERVICES. With a mission of assisting Wofford students and alumni to be better prepared for achieving their career goals than graduates from any other institution of higher education, Career Services provides assistance with interview skills, resume writing, job search, networking and internship opportunities.

For more information about The Center for Professional Excellence, contact Scott Cochran, dean of the Center, at 864-597-4261 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .