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Tom Evelyn Named VP for University Communications

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Last updated June 7, 2016

By News administrator

Furman University President Elizabeth Davis announced today that Tom Evelyn has been named Vice President for University Communications at the school.

Evelyn comes to Furman from the University of Florida, where he has served as Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing since 2014.  He will begin his new duties at Furman Aug. 1.

As Furman’s chief communications officer, Evelyn will be responsible for the University’s various communications platforms. A member of the President’s senior leadership team, he will envision the message and strategic positioning for Furman.

“Tom Evelyn will fill a very important role as the University works to increase its visibility and enhance its position among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges,” Davis said.  “He has a wealth of experience in higher education communications. Moreover, Tom is an innovative and strategic thinker who will advance Furman’s reputational excellence in academics as well as its innovations in community engagement and the student experience.”

“There is an energy and sense of excitement at Furman that is inspiring, and I am honored to join the University at this special moment in its history,” Evelyn said. “With a firm foundation of excellence and an ambitious vision for the future, Furman is clearly poised to reach new heights. I look forward to working with President Davis and the university community to help tell the story of the faculty and students who are leading the way.”

As Associate Vice President at Florida, Evelyn has led a team of 20 staff members who create communications and donor relations materials for the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs and the UF Foundation.  He has worked in tandem with the Office of University Relations to create and foster a unified brand strategy with UF’s colleges and institutes and other campus partners.

In addition to his time at the University of Florida, Evelyn’s higher education experience includes serving as Vice President for Communications at St. Lawrence University, where he was responsible for all communications and marketing for the university and the management of its National Public Radio affiliate, North Country Public Radio (WSLU-FM).

He previously served as Senior Director of News and Media Relations at Bucknell University and Interim Assistant Vice President and Associate Director of News and Information at the University of Central Florida.

Before joining the higher education community, Evelyn spent 10 years working as a reporter and editor at several newspapers in Florida and Georgia.  He also served as a cryptologist in the U.S. Navy while stationed in Spain and aboard ships on mission in the Mediterranean Sea.

Evelyn graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a philosophy minor and earned a master’s degree in communication from the University of Central Florida, where he also guest lectured in journalism and public relations. He and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Cooper and Delilah.

For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

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Clinton Colmenares
Director of News and Media Strategy