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What Furman is today is a result of the changes and developments over the past century and a half. One of the most significant changes is the merging with the Greenville Women’s College (GWC). Before the merger, these two colleges operated independently, but were related through their Baptist affiliations. Although Furman and GWC began to come together as one university in 1933, it was not until 1937 that they officially merged and united under one name. Over the next twenty-five years, the two schools struggled because of the difficulties of being on separate campuses. Due to expansion and a lack of space, it eventually became obvious that a big change was necessary. Decisions were made to build a joint campus which was finished in 1958. Three years later in the fall of 1961, women finally joined the men at the new school.