B-Note June 6, 2019
June 6, 2019
Greetings fellow Tigers!
Of all the seasons on our campus, summer seems to be the quietest. But as you walk across Bowman Field, pass by the gates of Memorial Stadium or grab a quick bite at Core Campus, you will see students on their way to summer classes and young students here for camp. You will hear the buzz of construction sites across campus, in particular, the new College of Business building that is transforming before our eyes daily. You will see faculty and staff walking to meetings, planning for the next semester. You will hear the sound of whistles blowing on the fields as our student-athletes prepare for the next competition. And even though it may not look as busy, the entire Clemson family is still working diligently to protect our spot as a nationally-ranked University – on and off the field.
Clemson University’s rich military history was front and center in the nation’s capital recently when videos of veterans’ military service remembrances were presented to the Library of Congress. At a Baltimore-Washington Alumni Club event in Washington, D.C., College of Business Dean Wendy York added 25 veteran interviews to the Library of Congress’ collection of more than 120 Clemson remembrances that had previously been submitted. The videos were recorded by a Creative Inquiry class under the direction of Vernon Burton, a Clemson history professor, who was also in attendance with some of his students. The class is comprised of students across various majors on campus. Its goal is to document military veterans’ experiences through professional-level interviews and videography. You can read more here.
Hundreds of students who transfer from South Carolina technical colleges to Clemson University will soon be eligible for scholarships as part of a new program backed by nearly $5 million from the National Science Foundation. The plan calls for more than 300 transfer students to receive $3 million in need-based scholarships over the five-year life of the grant. The scholarships will be open to students who plan to pursue Bachelor of Science degrees in engineering or computing in Clemson University’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. The rest of the funding will pay for an assortment of programs, many aimed at helping transfer students form a community to support each through some of higher education’s most challenging majors. Researchers will also study the results of the program to learn what leads to success and share their findings with the nation. Researchers are calling the program Student Pathways in Engineering and Computing for Transfers, or SPECTRA. The idea behind SPECTRA is to help recruit, retain and graduate transfer students as they begin to make up a bigger share of the Clemson student body, largely because starting at technical colleges can reduce higher education costs. You can read more here.
After 25 years of dedicated service to the Historic Properties Advisory Committee, Chairman Bill Steinkuller and member Andy Calhoun are retiring. Bill and Andy were both instrumental in organizing the committee, and on behalf of our University, I thank them for their commitment and service to Historic Properties and Clemson University. I was honored to join Will Hiott, director of Historic Properties, to present the proclamations at the Historic Properties Advisory Committee meeting last Saturday.
B- A Part of Something Special!
Regardless of the changes happening around Clemson, our core values, beliefs and the spirit of the Clemson Tiger remain steadfast! We are a University steeped in our traditions, from our military heritage to our commitment to academic and athletic excellence. No matter how far away we may travel or how long the time between our visits may be, to be a Clemson Tiger is to be a part of something special. Thank you for your support of our great University!
Don’t forget make your annual gift before the end of our fiscal year, June 30. You can do so by giving us a call at 864-656-5896 or visiting our website. Your generosity is moving Clemson forward and powerfully impacting our students as they prepare to leave their mark on the world.
Go Tigers!
Brian O’Rourke