Greetings fellow Tigers!
Fall is in the air here at Clemson. Students are fully engaged in their classes and ready to experience the excitement of First Friday festivities and our first home football game of the season this Saturday!
I hope you plan to share in this exciting time of year by joining us for the First Friday parade and home football game against Wofford. As you make plans to come “home” this weekend and over the next few weeks, take a look around campus at all of the students who have come from over 42 states and 11 countries to Clemson. These are the students who you are helping each and every day through your Will to Lead. Take a minute to look at the impressive freshmen, transfer and graduate students who have joined the Clemson Family.
BMW has extended its long history of investing in the students of Clemson University with two $50,000 gifts to the Call Me MISTER and the German language programs, respectively. BMW has supported each program annually since 2003 with donations totaling $700,000 to each. BMW’s support for Clemson includes its longtime support for the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate School for Automotive Engineering and two BMW endowed chairs. Clemson University President James P. Clements saluted BMW’s commitment to Clemson at BMW’s world headquarters in Germany in July. Read more on BMW’s incredible dedication to two incredible Clemson programs.
Last week, President Clements announced the appointment of a Diversity Advisory Council to provide strategic guidance to the president, chief diversity officer and other administrators and help set priorities on diversity initiatives. The council will play a key advisory role in developing a comprehensive diversity plan for the university. Interim Chief Diversity Officer Max Allen will chair the council and he will continue to serve as an ex-officio member on an ongoing basis. Other ex-officio members are Almeda Jacks, vice president for Student Affairs, and Leslie Doss of the Office of Diversity. View the council members and their respective constituent groups.
I invite you to stop by Experience Clemson on Main Street in Greenville on Monday, September 7 from 1-5 PM for the Grand Opening. If you have not had a chance to visit this interactive virtual museum, you will have the opportunity to rub a replica of the Rock, experience running down the Hill and locate the orange mouse on Main. The Tiger will be visiting at 4pm. See event details here.
B-Informed
Smyth McKissick asked me to report an update on the Will to Lead Executive Committee. Though Smyth will remain chair of the Will to Lead Executive Committee, his new role as Chairman of Clemson’s Board of Trustees will certainly take on more of his time. Because of this, we are very thankful for Richard “Rich” Davies, ’86, National Campaign Vice Chair and Kelly C. Davies ’86, National Campaign Vice Chair who have agreed to step-up and take on an even larger leadership role in this final year of the campaign. Please help me in thanking Rich and Kelly for their leadership.
The success of the Will to Lead campaign is due to the dedication and generosity of each of you. Your continued leadership and support during the final months of the campaign will be even more critical to ensure that we capitalize on this extraordinary opportunity for Clemson. Thank you for the impact you are making for our University and I hope to see several of you this weekend!
Go Tigers!
Brian O’Rourke
