A Word from Dean Richard Goodstein – May 2016

May 5, 2016

With the Ginn family in April.

Dear Friends,

Walking across campus recently, I was struck by the sights and sounds of finals week. Students were finishing their exams, running to deliver their final papers before a deadline and others were carrying their belongings to their cars for the summer break. I recall the bittersweet memories of this time of year as a graduating senior, saying goodbye to great friends and my home for the past four years, and saying hello to an unknown future without the comforts of campus. As I vividly remember, it was an equally exciting and terrifying time in my life.

What gives me great joy is knowing the lasting impact our faculty have had on our students. I have no doubt our graduates are prepared for whatever their future holds due to their work inside and outside the classroom.

For faculty in the college, it’s also a time of reflection of the past year – the “light bulb” moments we had with our students, and the anticipation of summer.

On April 22, the Andrew Carnegie Corporation announced the 2016 Carnegie Fellows – a competitive fellowship program that identifies and rewards scholarship addressing significant challenges to U.S. democracy and international order. I am proud to announce that Dr. Maribel Morey, assistant professor of history, was chosen as one of 33 national winners. The fellowship comes with a $200,000 award in support of Dr. Morey’s work. Her proposal, titled “Big Philanthropy in the Lives of Black Americans: What Today’s Foundations Can Learn from this History,” will, according to Maribel, “detail the transformation of these philanthropic organizations from supporters of segregated education of black Americans to key institutions of the civil rights struggle.” This seems a very poignant national recognition of a Clemson faculty member, especially at this time in Clemson’s history. Congratulations Maribel!

In April we received a generous gift in celebration of three generations of Clemson graduates through an endowment established by Wilbur N. Ginn, Jr. (USN retired), his wife, Dorothy, and their son Wilbur N. Ginn III (English, 1969) and his wife, Alice. Part of the Ginn Endowment is dedicated to unrestricted support of the humanities. We are extraordinarily grateful for the Ginn’s generosity and dedicated Clemson spirit.

Finally, I pay tribute to this year’s retirees. With more than 166 years of service to Clemson, we honor these faculty and staff members for their exceptional teaching, research and service in support of our goal to make Clemson a top national university:

• Alton Brant developed Clemson’s American Sign Language program, the only one of its kind in South Carolina, and has directly impacted the lives of the Deaf Community throughout the region through our ASL interpreting program.
• Joan Bridgewood led the Russian studies program in the Department of Languages for 30 years.
• Wayne Chapman, professor of English, an internationally recognized Yeats scholar, served as editor of the SC Review, founder of the Center for Electronic and Digital Press, the University Press and developed a thriving partnership with Oxford University Press through Liverpool University.
• Toshiko Kishimoto started the Japanese program at Clemson, including the Language and International Trade program, and has been champion of Japanese culture in Clemson for 28 years.
• Sonja Massey, administrative assistant to the Clemson University Bands, has played an instrumental (pun intended) role in the many successes of the Clemson Bands for more than 28 years.
• Bill Stanton, lecturer of English, is retiring after 17 years of service. Bill taught a range of general education courses, including first-year composition and sophomore literature courses.  He is also a musician, and has recorded and released two CDs of his music over the past 3 years.
• Tony Wintz, lecturer of Construction Science and Management, is retiring after 11 years of teaching. He taught Materials and Methods, Contract Documents, Soils and Foundations and other courses.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate our graduates and thank our faculty and staff for a fantastic year. I hope you enjoy the beginning of summer and a well-deserved break in the academic year.

Rick