Rod Kelley '06

Growing up in his small, rural hometown, Rod Kelley '06 was not always familiar with Furman University. However, when his school counselors suggested he consider Furman for his college years, he soon made connections with some Furman alumni in his community. After hearing about their experiences and learning more about the university, he knew Furman was the place for him. He joined the Class of 2006 as a first-generation college student with big goals of growing as a scholar, learning how to think and write, and becoming a better global citizen. Over the next few years, Rod accomplished all that and more.

Rod thrived as a student at Furman, where he credits the campus community—especially the staff—with giving him opportunities to ground himself, make mistakes, and practice the kind of servant leadership he saw modeled daily. These experiences, he says, provided the foundation for him to grow as an academic and as a citizen and left him prepared and confident to enter graduate school. They also shaped how he supports students now as Furman's Assistant Dean of Student Conduct.

While continuing to be a valuable part of the Furman community and helping to provide current students the same opportunities that shaped his life, Rod also keeps an eye toward the future. Furman, he says, "has the potential to truly transform how this generation of college students will impact the world around them." He also acknowledges that financial obstacles can impact students' access to the Furman experience. These short-term barriers, he believes, can keep young people from long-term success opportunities.

To help remove these barriers, Rod has committed a planned gift for the university to ensure that more students have access to the transformational experiences that Furman offers. Rod knows his gift will make a difference because "these opportunities become available through planned gifts focused on making them so." He hopes that his gift will perhaps even change the life of someone like him—a young, Black man from rural South Carolina who may not otherwise have a mentor to prepare him for the future.

Because of the generosity of Rod Kelley and other Legacy Society members, future generations of young people will have access to a place that will provide them with mentors, connect them to valuable experiences, and help them come into their own identities as citizens and leaders. The Furman Advantage will live on.