B-Note April 30, 2020
April 30, 2020
Greetings fellow Tigers!
On Tuesday, May 5, 2020, Clemson is joining others across the globe for Giving Tuesday, a movement encouraging others to give back in ways that empower their communities and the world. Support your fellow Tigers by giving to the Student Emergency Fund, the Staff and Faculty Emergency Fund, or where the need is greatest which supports all University initiatives.
The Student or the Staff and Faculty Emergency Funds are available to assist during times of financial hardship due to unexpected, unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the severe weather that struck the Clemson area on April 13, 2020. To date, more than 330 students have shared with us their need for assistance. Gifts to the Tigers Helping Tigers funds will support the needs of our students, faculty and staff who are facing unique challenges during these uncertain times. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Student Alumni Council President Wilson Josey and answer questions about these two funds and how your gifts can support the Clemson Family. Click here to watch my full interview or click the photo below.
Gifts to Where the Need is Greatest allow University administrators to have the ability to direct funds to initiatives of the University. Unrestricted gifts allow the University to meet unforeseen needs as they arise and to capitalize on opportunities as they emerge.
As promised last week, I would like to share with you a video featuring our students during Clemson’s Week of Gratitude. Our students have thrived – and will continue to do so – because of your generosity. Your gifts, along with the dedication of our leadership, faculty and staff, are helping prepare Clemson students for the future. We appreciate your support to Clemson every day, but we especially value these opportunities when our students can personally express their gratitude for the impact you are making on their lives. Click here or the photo below to watch the special message from our students.
In response to the shift from in-person to online instruction, Clemson faculty, staff and students have found resourceful and meaningful ways to connect and finish the semester strong.
There are hundreds of examples on campus of those who have risen to the occasion to keep us safe, inspired us and helped students end the academic year. Here are some of the stories of Clemson’s people. We share this as a simple record of deeds great and small. Collectively, they remind us of how we rose to some of our greatest challenges, found joy amid tragedy and even overcame our worst fears.
Caption: Michele Cauley and her marketing students had to adjust their planned curriculum after moving online. In her social media and marketing class, students are examining how companies are responding to the coronavirus, and her nonprofit marketing class had to overhaul the marketing plans they had already developed for 16 organizations as many shifted away from event planning to campaigns soliciting donations and supplies. You can read more about how Michele has helped her students adapt to online instruction here.
Caption: Student teacher Katherine Armstrong and Sarah Day, math teacher at Powdersville High School and master teacher in Clemson’s teacher residency program, are using existing modules as a foundation for students that they could build on via large and small group meetings as well as one-on-one tutoring. You can read more here.
Clemson University President Jim Clements, USC President Robert Caslen, Medical University of South Carolina President David Cole and Prisma Health CEO Mark O’Halla recently joined together to author an article featured in The State. The article, “USC, Clemson, Prisma Health and MUSC are working as one in the fight against COVID-19,” highlights the importance of these institutions joining forces during the current global COVID-19 crisis. By joining forces, we can maximize resources to help all South Carolinians. For instance, under the banner of epidemiology, Prisma Health, Clemson and USC are working to map neighborhood-level tracking for the outbreak. Together, the institutions are also gearing up to develop innovative solutions that address health care system needs such as sterilization processes for vital equipment like N95 masks and 3D printing of personal protective equipment. The team is working closely with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in seeking to create a centralized database so hospitals can evaluate how they compare to others in areas like capacity and supplies. You can read the article in its entirety here.
B- Supportive!
Our professors are finding innovative and creative ways to engage with their students during distance learning. Essential employees of Clemson are ensuring our University continues to be operational. Other Clemson employees continue to support our University by working remotely. Students are working diligently from their apartments and homes as they complete their spring semester with exams this week via distance learning. Our world is vastly different than it was just months ago. But together, the Clemson Family is learning how to navigate through the uncertainty of our times and guarantee Clemson can continue to fulfill its mission to impact generations today, tomorrow and forever.
Thank you for supporting Clemson! To you, we are forever grateful!
Go Tigers!
Brian O’Rourke