Greetings fellow Tigers!
Before we know it, the campus will be buzzing with the sound of freshmen walking onto the campus for the first time and upperclassmen returning for the fall semester. During Move-In Week next month, Douthit Hills – the home to seven new residence halls and over 1,600 beds for both upperclassmen and first-year students –will welcome its first group of residents. The community provides much more than just living space. In between the East and West neighborhoods lives The Hub of Douthit — a building that is home to many amenities inviting faculty, staff and students to gather in the newest addition to the Clemson community. The Hub will house multiple dining options, the campus bookstore, a fitness center and many gathering spaces. Some of the various dining options include a facility with three stations: a pizza and garden station, a rotating fusion menu and the famous smokehouse that used to live next to Harcombe Dining Hall. You can read more about Douthit Hills and its many amenities here.
Larry Gantt ’59 has enjoyed a successful life as a family man, a military man and business leader, so the 81-year-old Hartsville resident and his wife, Virginia, decided to give credit where credit is due. As a successful retired business executive, he decided to reward his alma mater for all it’s done for him by creating an endowment. The proud Army veteran served in Korea with the 7th Infantry Division, followed by a stint with the 101st Airborne Division. The Larry “Nat” (’59) and Virginia Gantt ROTC Endowment will provide financial support to Clemson University ROTC cadets each year. The Gantts established the endowment five years ago, and while the endowment grows, they have generously provided additional monetary support to assist ROTC students. This year, their annual financial gifts benefitted two College of Business management majors, William R. Cusic, Mechanicsville, Md., Army ROTC, and Ty B. Evans of Seneca, S.C., Air Force ROTC. The Gantts look forward to the first endowment award being made in the next school year. The retired corporate vice president of Sonoco Products & Co., credits much of his time at Clemson and specifically his military curriculum, for the success he had serving his country and in business. Gantt graduated with an industrial management degree and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Army. Gantt left the Army as a 1st lieutenant, then joined the National Guard where he reached the rank of captain. Gantt said he is able to give back to the university today because of how it prepared him to be successful in life. You can read more about Larry Gantt and the Larry “Nat” (’59) and Virginia Gantt ROTC Endowment here.
The Duke Energy Foundation is providing $85,000 to Clemson University to continue support of two separate summer programs that are aimed at increasing diversity in the pipeline that carries talent from academia to the workplace. The foundation granted $45,000 to Project WISE and $40,000 to PEER/WISE Summer Experiences. Project WISE offers hands-on mini courses designed to develop middle school girls’ knowledge in STEM fields. PEER/WISE Summer Experiences seeks to increase the number of minority and female students who pursue both higher education and careers in STEM fields. Incoming Clemson freshmen who participate in the three-week PEER/WISE Summer Experiences will earn two hours of college course credit through both online and in-person educational opportunities and will be provided with hands-on STEM learning and research experiences. You can read more about the Duke Energy Foundation and its support of Project WISE and PEER/WISE Summer Experiences here.
B- Impactful!
Your gifts have an impact on our students today as well as the future generations of Clemson students. When you see the construction around campus, it can be difficult to envision what truly lies ahead. Our donors who supported Douthit Hills will soon see first-hand the impact their gifts have on Clemson students when the first students move in next month. I know that Douthit Hills will prove to be a great community space – one that our donors will be proud to have contributed towards.
The new fiscal year is officially underway, and I know it is going to be another fantastic year. I will be sharing with you next week the fundraising results from 2018, so watch for the B-Note to see how the Clemson Family supported Clemson in 2018.
Go Tigers!
Brian O’Rourke
