B-Note September 12, 2019
September 12, 2019
Greetings fellow Tigers!
This morning I had the privilege of joining Clemson’s leadership, Director of the South Carolina Botanical Garden Dr. Patrick McMillan, and Clemson donors, alumni and friends to celebrate the official opening of the McBride Aquatic Garden. In 2015, Mike and Lynn McBride made a very generous $1 million gift to support the Children’s Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Their gift – the largest single gift ever given for the Botanical Garden – has allowed the Children’s Garden to expand. The focal point of that expansion is a beautiful dock and gazebo at the duck pond, where we gathered today to celebrate this amazing gift from the McBride family. I know this space will be an amazing place for families and friends to gather and enjoy the wonders of nature. Thank you, Mike and Lynn, for your philanthropic spirit and for inspiring the rest of us to follow your example of dedication and commitment to Clemson! You can view photos from the official opening of the McBride Aquatic Garden here.
With the support of corporate partners, especially Wells Fargo, Clemson University is inspiring students who have dreamed of a college education and greatly benefit from additional support and resources to reach their goals in life. Emerging Scholars and Call Me MISTER have been the leading diversity initiatives at Clemson University to provide these students with the knowledge, desire and resources to pursue higher education. The strong partnership between Wells Fargo and Clemson University has allowed Call Me MISTER and Emerging Scholars to continue to significantly impact education throughout South Carolina, provide life-changing opportunities and encourage students to pursue greater dreams. Since 1981, Wells Fargo has given more than $4 million to the University. Among its many contributions to Clemson, the company has established the Wells Fargo Student Scholarship Endowment within the College of Business, awarding more than 100 scholarships to date. The company’s dollar-for-dollar employee matching program has also provided substantial support. With 350 Clemson alumni working for Wells Fargo, the program has generated more than $760,000. Clemson recently celebrated another gift from Wells Fargo – an additional $300,000 gift benefiting Emerging Scholars and Call Me MISTER. $175,000 will support Call Me MISTER, and $125,000 will benefit Emerging Scholars. You can read more about the partnership between Clemson and Wells Fargo here.
I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Candice Glenn to our Clemson alumni family! Candi has been a special member of our Clemson family for many years, and it is fitting that she is now an honorary alumna. Candi and her husband Gerald have been longtime supporters of Clemson University. Among their many contributions, Gerald and Candi named the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering and made a $2.5 million unrestricted gift to athletics, making them the ninth Athletic Cornerstone Partner.
Clemson University officials, community leaders and philanthropists came together recently for a dedication ceremony marking the grand opening of a multipurpose dining facility at Camp Hannon. The mountainous 80-acre Upstate site in Pickens County is one of five locations across the state where the Clemson University Youth Learning Institute (YLI) provides programming to educate, develop and serve the youth of South Carolina and beyond. The 47,000-square-foot building provides tremendous flexibility and was designed to accommodate the diverse needs of Camp Hannon visitors and YLI staff. In 2010, The Scott Hannon Memorial Foundation and Clemson University forged a partnership to serve the youth in South Carolina by building capacity at Camp Hannon. This first phase of development included the construction of two cabins with lodging for 75 people. The multipurpose facility dedication ceremony marks a new milestone for both partners as growth continues at Camp Hannon. You can read more here.
B- the best!
It was another exciting win for the Tigers on Saturday in Death Valley! Despite the heat, the Tigers were able to defeat the Aggies 24 – 10. Congratulations to our football team and coaches for another great victory! The Tigers will head to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse for their first road contest this Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.
Clemson is consistently showing the nation that we are the best – from our championship teams to our groundbreaking research to our outstanding academics. The unwavering support of our alumni, friends and corporate partners allows Clemson to continue to provide the best education and experiences to our students. Thank you for all you do for Clemson! Your commitment and support are moving Clemson forward!
Go Tigers!
Brian O’Rourke