Dear Friends,
The College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities honored its third class of inductees into our Hall of Fame on March 8 when 11 new members were inducted. More than 70 faculty, students, staff and friends were on hand to honor this year’s class and were treated to performances by the Clemson University Jazz Combo and String Quartet.
I was honored to help recognize this year’s inductees who were nominated by departments in the College. Each inductee was presented a remarkable print that President Emeritus Jim Barker sketched of Hardin Hall, which shows a reflection of Tillman Hall in a window. Each member of the Hall of Fame will be honored in perpetuity on a plaque in the dean’s office.
William A. Caldwell and 10 other exceptional individuals were inducted into the College’s Hall of Fame last month. Image credit: Chase Todd
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are:
Please join me in offering congratulations to each inductee who joined 25 other distinguished members of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame. Each one of them has made transformational contributions to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities during their lifetime.
…
It was a pleasure to gather at the “Villa.”
Last month, I had the privilege of hosting 21 friends and alumni of the College in a visit to the Charles H. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies in Genoa, Italy. The Italian portion of the trip included the annual “Villa” party, visits to the marble works in Carrara and the villages of Portofino and Cinque Terre. In France, we visited Nice and the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul de Vence. We also stopped in the Principality of Monaco.
I am indebted to Silvia Siboldi Carroll, the administrative director of the Genoa Center (and a recent Clemson honorary alumna!), for organizing the trip, along with our amazing development team. As I mentioned at one of our dinners, most people never get to see all the sights we saw in a lifetime – let alone in a week. It was a memorable trip for everyone.
…
Plans for the renovation and expansion of Daniel Hall are proceeding nicely. The “new” Daniel will extend to the south with a 60,000-square-foot classroom expansion, student-centered collaborative spaces and a new 250-seat auditorium. I share in the excitement that this new focal point for the humanities will be transformative for Clemson. Groundbreaking is expected in about a year.
…
Rhondda Thomas discusses the “Call My Name” project. On the table are old ledger books with the names of convicts who labored on campus.
Last week, I also visited the launch of the next phase of Rhondda Thomas’ “Call My Name: African Americans in Clemson History, 1825-1973” project. Thomas, the Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature in the Department of English, has initiated the “Call My Name” project to research and document the stories, contributions, and honor the legacy of six generations of African Americans in Clemson history. Her work has been transformational in understanding Clemson’s history and I invite you to visit a website devoted to this work: https://spark.adobe.com/page/wQoPG.
…
Finally, as we approach the end of the hiring season for faculty who will join us next year, I have been thrilled to see the quality of applicants who are competing for jobs in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. With the applicants’ extraordinary credentials from some of the top universities in the world, it’s no doubt our students – and Clemson University’s strong academic reputation – are in good hands. I will be excited to announce a new Pearce Professor of Communication, a new director of our Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design Ph.D. program, and new directors of the Historic Preservation and Real Estate Development programs, and several other new faculty appointments – soon. Each of these applicants has gone through a rigorous interview process that includes a “job talk” and meetings with students, faculty, staff and administrators. Clemson’s academic brand has never been stronger and I am excited for the future.
In closing, I wish you a joyous April and Go Tigers!
Rick
Dear Friends, As many of you are aware, I have come to the end of my time as dean of […]
Dear Friends, I often get asked what the favorite part of my job is, and, depending on the day of […]
Dear Friends and Colleagues, As the afterglow of the National Championship has begun to subside (but not by much) and […]