Fred Current, a retired Furman University professor who lives in Tryon, has been honored as a Furman Standard professor.
The Furman Standard is a fundraising initiative designed to pay tribute to professors who have impacted Furman alumni, friends and family. The campaign’s ultimate goal is to foster mentoring and teaching excellence on campus.
Contributions to The Furman Standard are earmarked for professional development of all Furman faculty. Current, an emeritus professor of economics and business administration, is among 18 named professors for the program, which has garnered $1.2 million since its inception earlier this year. Gifts to the Furman Standard range from $25,000 to $100,000.
Current was honored by donors Kevin Byrne ‘91 and spouse Laurie Byrne of Atlanta. In a statement about their gift, the Byrnes said: “Professor Current always challenged students to achieve academic excellence, and he also prepared us for practical application. He was a true academic entrepreneur and professor of engaged learning before engaged learning was the standard.”
Current was named professor emeritus at Furman after a 20-year teaching career (1979-99). Known for support of his students, he received the Alester G. and Janie Earle Furman Meritorious Advising Award. In 1990, he was selected as recipient of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award. Current also consulted with corporate and private professional clients about financial accounting training for non-accountants, his special area of interest.
He completed his graduate studies at Michigan State University and was certified as an internal auditor. Upon his retirement, Current’s friends and colleagues established the Jane and Fred Current Accounting Award to recognize his service to Furman. Prior to his years in academe, Current served 20 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel and comptroller of Seymour Johnson Air Force base in North Carolina.
For more information about the Furman Standard, visit www.furman.edu or contact Allison McCann Foy, Furman’s director of donor relations, at 864-294-3704 or allison.foy@furman.edu.