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Clemson recognizes endowed chair holders at University convocation

September 13, 2017

First-year, transfer, and graduate students, and university faculty and staff gathered in Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday, August 21 to officially start the new academic year with the annual Victor Hurst Convocation. Attendees heard from speakers Jay Allison, who co-edited this year’s Common Reading Program book, “This I Believe,” President Jim Clements, who shared advice with the students on how to be successful during their time at Clemson, and Brian O’Rourke, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations.

O’Rourke also recognized Clemson’s new Endowed Chair holders, including:

– Robert Fritz Baldwin, the Margaret H. Lloyd Endowed Chair in Urban Ecology and Restoration;

– Johan H. Enslin, the Duke Energy Endowed Chair in Smart Grid Technology, which was established by Duke Energy in 2013 to to lead the development and growth of research initiatives in emerging electric-grid technologies at the Duke Energy eGRID and SCE&G Energy Innovation; Center facilities located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, SC;

– Venkat Narayan Krovi, the Michelin Endowed Chair in Vehicle Automation, which was established in 2004 to to establish and lead an internationally recognized research and education program at CU-ICAR in the areas of automotive electronics, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and connected vehicle systems;

– Laine Mears, the BMW Smart State Chair in Automotive Manufacturing, established in 2003 to advance CU-ICAR’s research capabilities in the manufacturing segment of the automotive market sector, as well as to improve the efficiency of manufacturing large, complex objects. The position also provides leadership to the Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI);

– and Zeki Simsek, the Lawrence M. Gressette Jr. Endowed Chair in Business Strategy and Planning, co-established by SCANA in 2000 to honor Lawrence M. Gressette, retired Chairman and CEO of SCANA, who passed away in 2013.