03/05/2026
Congratulations to our awesome Zeta Chi sister!
Twice a month, throughout our 175th Anniversary Year, we will be honoring sisters throughout history for their accomplishments and impact. Today we highlight Dr. Elizabeth Boozer Davis, Zeta Chi.
Elizabeth Davis became Furman University’s 12th President on July 1, 2014. Before coming to Furman, she spent 22 years at Baylor University in Texas, where she was a member of the accounting faculty and later held the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. Before beginning her higher education career, she spent three years as an auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. in New Orleans.
Innovation is Dr. Davis’s hallmark. Under her leadership, Furman introduced The Furman Advantage, a distinctive approach to higher education that combines classroom learning with immersive experiences, mentoring, reflection and career exploration to create personalized pathways to launch graduates into successful careers and lives of purpose. In September 2019, Dr. Davis received the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in recognition of her significant contributions to experiential education, including creating The Furman Advantage.
Dr. Davis received her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor and earned her Ph.D. from Duke University. In reflecting on her Alpha Delta Pi membership, she shared, “As an ADPi at Baylor, I had the opportunity to create relationships with women whose majors and goals were different from mine. That is a gift, as we naturally tend to associate with people who are similar to ourselves. ADPi gave me the opportunity to develop leadership skills, communication skills, and the ability to balance multiple responsibilities. I have no doubt my time as an ADPi honed the skills I’ve needed in my career and in life.”