B-Note January 9, 2020
January 9, 2020
Happy New Year, fellow Tigers!
I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season, spent much-needed time with friends and family and were able to get some well-deserved rest. Our students have returned to campus and are diving right back into another semester. Because of the commitment of our Clemson alumni, friends and donors, our students are thriving at Clemson and making impacts in the world.
Russell “Rip” Parks cherishes the skills and abilities he learned as a Clemson student: discipline, creativity and the ability to connect with anyone he meets. Rip attributes these abilities, as well as his career success, to his broad range of experiences at Clemson. During his time at the University, he studied pre-architecture and actively participated in Army ROTC and the C-4 Pershing Rifles. Because of his deep connection to Clemson, Rip established an estate gift that will create the Clemson University Company C-4 Pershing Rifles Endowment and a current gift that established the David J. Allison (‘78, M’82) Endowment in Architecture and Health. Rip also gives back to Clemson through his service on the Board of Visitors, an appointment that allowed him to connect with his community as an advocate for University initiatives on the state and federal level. Between his duties on the Board of Visitors and running his own business, ParksConsult, Rip also finds time to mentor young men from the Clemson and Greenville area. This mentor/mentee relationship offers an opportunity to share his own life experiences, both professionally and personally, and even learn from younger generations. You can read more about Rip and his contributions to Clemson here.
Although the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers will be competitors on the field for the College Football Playoff National Championship game, the universities have teamed up with two other universities for a global fight to save wild tigers. Clemson University, Louisiana State University, Auburn University and the University of Missouri – all land-grant, tiger mascot universities – have formed Tigers United University Consortium to save the few tigers remaining in the wild from extinction. The work of two Clemson University graduate students is bringing valuable new insight into this global fight and being used by the Consortium. Working at both the Ph.D. and master’s levels, their research projects examine how people and politics affect tiger conservation in different ways. You can read more about their research here.
B- ready to cheer!
I am so excited to join many of you in New Orleans to paint NOLA orange! The spirit and pride of Clemson Tigers will be on the national stage once again. It is because of the support and unwavering dedication of the entire Clemson family that our University continues to prove that we are champions on and off the field.
The Clemson Alumni Association, IPTAY and Development teams worked tirelessly to provide the Clemson family with opportunities to gather and mingle in Arizona. Following our exciting Fiesta Bowl victory, these teams have wasted no time planning events for our Clemson family in New Orleans.
Clemson Alumni Association and IPTAY are hosting several events throughout New Orleans where you can join your fellow Tigers to gear up for Monday night’s game.
Several of your favorite former Clemson Tigers will be battling it out in the NFL Divisional round on Sunday, and there are numerous Clemson-friendly New Orleans spots that will preview the game while welcoming the Clemson family to NOLA. You can see a full list of locations here.
The Legends of Clemson party, hosted by Faizon Love and Clemson Legends, will take place Sunday night at 9 p.m. You can purchase tickets here, but be sure to order quickly because tickets are limited for this event. This event benefits ONE Clemson, which raises funds to support campus-wide initiatives within athletics and academics, impacting students, faculty and staff at Clemson University.
The Clemson Alumni Association and IPTAY will host the Clemson Family Tailgate at the College Football National Championship game at the Hyatt Regency on Monday, January 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. CT. The tailgate will include tons of exciting New Orleans and Clemson entertainment including a photo booth, Clemson Alumni and IPTAY promotional giveaways, and music by DJ Sha that will lead into a live performance by The Bourbon Street Brass Band and a traditional New Orleans Second Line parade that will take attendees from the tailgate up to the Superdome. The Tiger Tailgate Show will be live at the Clemson Family Tailgate from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT.
You can find additional details about the events here. CU in NOLA!
If you’re not making the trip to New Orleans, be sure to gather with your fellow Tigers to cheer for our team on January 13 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The City of Clemson will again host a National Championship Viewing Party on College Avenue. You can find all the information about the viewing party here.
Go Tigers! Beat LSU!
Brian O’Rourke