The holiday season is upon us and I am excited to share some great news from across the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.
Over the course of the semester, I had the opportunity to visit several classes across the various disciplines in the college. It was fun to sit as a student in subjects ranging from advanced creative writing to European history to early Impressionist art to audio technology. I was encouraged by the extraordinary quality of teaching our students are receiving. In several classes, I witnessed the power of a “flipped” classroom, where faculty assign primary subject material as homework and use class time for students to discover the impact, importance and relevance of the assigned material. It is a transformational method of teaching that, by all appearances, is being embraced by our students. Bravo to our faculty who have incorporated this relatively new style of teaching into their classes.
Last week we learned that Todd Anderson — assistant professor of art, a current AAH Creativity Professor and co-author of “The Last Glacier” — has had his art book placed on display New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is world-class recognition of Todd’s work, as “The Met” is extraordinarily selective in the works of art displayed in its galleries. Congratulations to Todd and his co-authors for this remarkable achievement.
We also learned recently that three of the college’s degree programs – English, visual arts and history – have placed at the top of the 2017 rankings for academic programs in South Carolina. Zippia, a career counseling website, says Clemson’s undergraduate English, visual arts and history degrees offer the best opportunity for students in these majors among all institutions of higher learning in the state, public and private. These were the only three academic disciplines within AAH that Zippia examined. For history, Clemson topped a list that included The Citadel, Presbyterian, USC-Columbia and Furman. In English, the list of the top five also included Presbyterian, USC-Columbia, Furman and Coastal Carolina. In fine arts, Clemson’s visual arts major came in at No. 1 above USC-Columbia, Furman, Coastal Carolina and USC-Aiken. It’s nice to have validation that we are state champions, both on and off the football field!
We also learned last week that Erin Goss, associate professor of English, has been named in the inaugural cohort of Pacesetters within Clemson’s TIGERS ADVANCE initiative. Erin will participate in activities designed to advance and advocate for gender equity in higher education. Best wishes to Erin on this new opportunity.
Finally, our Ethics Bowl team, led by Department of Philosophy and Religion faculty members Adam Gies, Steve Satris and Kelly Smith, won third place in the mid-Atlantic Regional Ethics Bowl, earning a trip to the national competition in Chicago this March. Good luck to our students as they prepare to represent Clemson in the national competition and congratulations to our students and our faculty coaches.
We have much to be thankful for during this holiday season. It’s been an exceptional semester of accomplishments for our students, faculty and staff. As we approach the end of the fall semester, I wish all of you Happy Holidays. Go Tigers!
With fall break behind us and Thanksgiving just a few short weeks away, the fall semester seems to be rushing by. If you haven’t checked out the CAAH events calendar lately, I encourage you to do so. The next few weeks offer a plethora of lectures, performances, exhibitions and more. Immerse yourself in the intellectual curiosity and creativity of our students and faculty — you won’t be disappointed!
Earlier this month, I participated in the International Council of Fine Arts Deans’ annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a privilege to lead a roundtable discussion about Clemson’s undergraduate degree program in performing arts. Our unique focus on interdisciplinarity and the broad aspects of the new arts economy has proven to be professionally advantageous to our students in theatre, music and audio technology. I was proud to share Clemson’s success story with a group of academic leaders from around the world.
Warmest congratulations to Professor Vernon Burton and Professor Emerita Dixie Goswami, who were honored in October with the South Carolina Governor’s Award in the Humanities, recognizing their lifetimes of achievement. The award is bestowed by South Carolina Humanities and is richly deserved on both counts. Congratulations to my two esteemed colleagues! This is another testament to the excellence of our humanities programs as we have more Governor’s Awards in the Humanities than any other college or university in South Carolina.
With a very sad heart, I share the news that Professor Emeritus Bill Koon passed away Oct. 3. Bill taught English at Clemson for 35 years and served for a time as head of the department. He will be deeply missed. Sincere sympathy from all of us in the college to Bill’s family and many friends. (Link)
As many of you know, the CAAH Dean’s Office in 108 Strode Tower is a proud venue of art exhibitions curated and installed by Clemson art students. Our newest show, “Next Up 2017 Invitational Exhibit,” was selected by the Clemson Curates Creative Inquiry team, inviting 17 undergraduate art students to showcase their work. Please make it a point to stop by and see for yourself the amazing talent of our BFA students!
In closing, please remember the importance of annual giving to all of us in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. As the backbone of private support for Clemson University, annual gifts to the college provide student scholarships, support teaching, research and engaged learning, and attract some of the nation’s top scholars and faculty. No matter the size, every gift supports the needs of our students and faculty. Please make your annual gift today by completing this form or contacting Donna Dant, senior director of development for the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. Thank you!
With cooler temperatures in the forecast and the fall semester well underway, it’s a great time to be on campus. Our students and faculty are into the day-to-day routine of the school year and it’s always exciting to experience the energy on campus after a relatively quiet summer.
Koryn Rolstad’s “Illuminated Chroma Wind Trees” came to Core Campus through the Atelier InSite public art program.
The past month has been filled with extraordinary good news, including our Architecture and Landscape Architecture programs both being named in the top 20 of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools” by DesignIntelligence. We received word of a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for “Drones and the Design of Public Outdoor Spaces” with Hala Nassar, professor of Landscape Architecture, as a principal investigator and Robert Hewitt as co-principal investigator. The grant is a collaborative research project with Duke University. We also received a generous grant in support of our new Master of Resilient Urban Design program based in Charleston, with a public announcement coming soon. Finally, we were honored to host Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor last month as the first sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice to visit Clemson. The visit was made possible through the leadership of the Humanities Advancement Board and Vernon Burton, professor of history.
Walking around campus over the past week, I was struck by the beauty that our public art projects bring to Clemson. From the new artwork by Koryn Rolstad at the Core Campus to Linda Howard’s sculpture at the Fluor Daniel Building, the public art projects demonstrate Clemson’s commitment to enhancing the student experience through the arts.
Clemson’s public art program, Atelier InSite, was developed to allow students real-life, problem-based learning experiences that reflect Thomas Green Clemson’s passion for “The Beautiful Arts – the magic bonds which unite all ages and nations (1859).” Led by faculty members David Detrich, Joey Manson and Denise Woodward-Detrich, Atelier InSite is a Creative Inquiry program with 10-12 students each semester from majors across campus. Installation of the next project will begin soon in Lee III, with upcoming work focused on the Reeves Football Operations Center and the new College of Business building. For more information and to see the installed projects, please see Atelier InSite’s Art on Campus website.
I hope to see many of you at Homecoming and Go Tigers!
The start of the 2017-2018 academic year has been fantastic! With Tiger Band arriving in mid-August, the solar eclipse on August 21st and the start of classes on the 23rd; campus is electric! We have welcomed 33 new faculty members to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and an extraordinarily high-achieving group of first-year students. Our student population exceeds 2,000 students within 26 major areas of study in majors ranging from architecture to women’s leadership. The start of school also means the start of football season – and excitement on campus is sky high to see how the defending national champions fare.
In my remarks to the college faculty and staff at our first college meeting of the year, I emphasized the remarkable opportunities we have to help create a diverse, inclusive and resilient community that anticipates and addresses the many challenges of the state, region, nation and world. The College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities is uniquely positioned to prepare the next generation of college graduates to lead meaningful personal lives, achieve significant professional accomplishments and become thoughtful citizens of the world. Within Clemson’s land-grant mission, the College prepares students to provide talent for the evolving economy and help to drive innovation. As a “high seminary of learning,” we also serve the public good and prepare our students to be thought leaders in their chosen professions.
I also reminded our faculty of the importance of conducting and disseminating transformational research, scholarship and creative endeavors in order to understand, analyze and create knowledge. There has never been a better or more important time on campus and I hope you share my enthusiasm to see the remarkable accomplishments of our student, faculty and staff over the course of the school year.
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The Pearce Center for Professional Communication (Photo by Clemson University)
This month I would like to feature some of the remarkable activities and programs associated with the Roy and Marnie Pearce Center for Professional Communication. The Pearces made a significant contribution to Clemson to strengthen student writing, critical thinking and communication skills. Through their success in business, and with the generosity of the Class of 1941, the Pearces provided the means to create the Pearce Center, which was dedicated in 2004 in Daniel Hall. As a recognition for their personal dedication to Clemson, the Pearces were inducted into the Fort Hill Legacy Society in 2015.
Professor Cameron Bushnell (Photo by Craig Mahaffey)
The Pearce Center is a dedicated space that offers students unparalleled opportunities for hands-on work through several programs, including the Pearce Center Interns, Writing Fellows and the Client-Based Program. Each of these programs offers students real-life experience in putting their classroom studies to work into the marketplace. According to Dr. Cameron Bushnell, associate professor of English and director of the Pearce Center, “students from diverse majors across campus gain valuable experience in writing, editing marketing, event promotion, video production and graphic design – all transforming directly to future careers.”
Some of the major projects this year include a soup-to-nuts marketing plan for Clemson’s Child Development Center; the “OpEd” Project, an interviewing and video project designed to help faculty develop opinion pieces in contemporary media; “Synergy” webcasts featuring interviews with Clemson faculty who are dedicated to service-learning projects; a professional presentation for the annual golf tournament and fundraiser for the Special Olympics; and student-to-student tutoring through the Writing Center.
The Pearce Center has made a lasting impact on Clemson’s national reputation in Writing across the Curriculum, including recognition for more than 10 consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report, which has listed Clemson as a top school for Writing in the Disciplines along with such schools as Brown, Harvard and Stanford. The Pearce Center is a unique example of how one idea and a philanthropic gift coupled with Clemson’s DNA of ingenuity and innovation can give students a transformational educational experience.
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On a more somber note, I share news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Frank Day, who died on August 2. Frank taught English at Clemson from 1967 until he retired in 2002. He is lovingly remembered as a wise, witty and inspiring professor. A full obituary is here. Our sincere condolences to the Day family.
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In closing, I wish all of you warm greetings from campus, best wishes for the start of the school year and an enthusiastic “Go Tigers.”
The summer allows time for many of us on campus to reflect on the previous academic year, take a deep breath and recharge our batteries for the upcoming year. With freshman orientation in full swing and the July 4th holiday behind us, the new school year will be here before we know it.
Part of my reflection on the past year includes a deep appreciation of the quality of our 30+ academic degree programs and the effectiveness of our student recruitment efforts. Across the country, many arts, design and humanities programs are struggling to attract student interest; however, this past year the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities received unprecedented interest and applications for majors in the college. In fact, our year-over-year freshmen applications were up 30%, by far the most of any college at Clemson, including a 37% increase in freshmen applications in the humanities.
It seems to me as if CAAH, and Clemson in general, are in a sweet spot looking to the future. With continuing growth and strong economic prospects in South Carolina, we believe students and parents understand the high value of a Clemson education and our proven return-on-investment record. Because we are preparing students today for jobs and careers that have yet to be invented, the value in a college degree has never been higher. I remain enthusiastic about the college’s ability to address successfully the needs of the next generation of college graduates.
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This week we announce five new academic leaders to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. Please help me welcome them:
Richard Amesbury begins service as the new chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Rich has a Ph.D. in religion from Claremont Graduate University and most recently served as professor of ethics, director of the Center for Ethics and director of the Institute for Social Ethics at the University of Zurich.
Susanna Ashton will assume her new position as chair of the Department of English in mid-August. Susanna joined the Clemson faculty in 1998. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa.
John Gaber joins us as chair of the Department of City Planning and Real Estate Development. John has a Ph.D. in urban planning from Columbia University and most recently served as chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Arkansas.
Mike Jackson is our new department chair of the Department of Construction Science and Management. Mike has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Oregon State University and joins us from Georgia Southern University where he chaired the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management.
Valerie Zimany is serving as interim chair of the Department of Art. Valerie completed her MFA studies at Kanazawa College of Art in Japan as a Fulbright Fellow and Japanese Government Scholar. She began her career at Clemson in 2010 as the ceramics area coordinator and lead faculty member in ceramics.
Welcome to all our new chairs, and to everyone, best wishes for the summer.
Warm congratulations to all winners of this year’s faculty and staff awards!
Tiffany Miller
Lightsey Fellows Program: Tiffany Dawn Creegan Miller,assistant professor of Spanish, for her work on (Re)negotiating the Politics of Orality and Ethnography in Performances of Kaqchikel Children’s Songs and Poetry
Established by Dr. and Mrs. Harry M. Lightsey with an original pledge of $100,000, the endowment provides support for junior faculty members in the humanities for summer research projects that will advance their scholarship. A peer-review committee of faculty has judged these proposals, and a summer stipend is attached to the award.
Yanming An
John B. and Thelma A. Gentry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities: Yanming An,professor of Chinese and philosophy
Established by Frank and Sarah Gentry to honor Mr. Gentry’s parents, John and Thelma Gentry, this peer-reviewed award recognizes an outstanding humanities faculty member and provides an annual competitive fund to support projects, materials and activities that will improve and enrich teaching in the humanities. A peer-review committee of faculty has judged these proposals and a summer stipend is attached to the award.
Dean’s Awards for Faculty and Staff The annual dean’s awards are peer-reviewed by the college awards committees. Each award comes with a plaque of recognition, placement on the list of awardees in the dean’s office and a cash award.
Raquel Anido
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Raquel Anido,assistant professor of Spanish
Her nominators write glowingly of her excellence in the classroom. One wrote, “[she] imparted a wealth of knowledge on her other students and me about Spanish language and culture, but she also imparted the necessity for passion in whatever one is doing. She encourages her students to pursue their passions, to never settle and to challenge beliefs.”
Another said, “Anything less than the best is not enough for [her]. I truly admire this desire in her. She challenges all of her students to be the very best they can be. In return, she brings her best, every day, to the classroom. Her standards are high but not impossible, and I truly appreciate that she cares enough about her students to educate them to the best of her ability, push them beyond their comfort zone and help them to discover their strengths and passions in the process.”
And, from her own teaching statement, Professor Anido reminds us all of this very important message – “Teaching is a passion for communicating knowledge, for sharing and giving back what you have learned from the most inspiring readings, travels, life experiences and teachers you have had.”
Mike LeMahieu
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Michael LeMahieu,associate professor of English
As one nominator stated, “His considerable portfolio of published journal articles and book chapters testifies to a range of interests – particularly in the effect of the Civil War on 20th century culture – that will surely define a career of continuing productivity at the highest level. Few beginning scholars merit the recognition he has already received simply by having his first two books published by first the Oxford University Press and second, the University of Chicago Press.”
Another wrote, “[He] is an outstanding scholar whose achievements in the past three years have been stunning.”
Eric Touya
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service: Eric Touya,associate professor of French
One nominator wrote, “He has served as the Language and International Trade advisor for French majors since 2008 and L&IT interim director for the past three years. Since he began teaching at Clemson in 2008, he directed the work of 35 B.A. final projects in the area of French and international trade, and 24 independent studies and honors projects. Over the years, [he] worked for the continued success of the L&IT program which attracted many talented students to Clemson University. Under his leadership, there has been a growing number of majors and the program achieved a high retention rate.”
Another wrote, “[He] played a large role in my decision to come to Clemson: torn between two different universities, my meeting with [him] during my senior year of high school demonstrated both his passion for the language and international trade program and his genuine desire to get to know each of his students on a personal level.”
Jeannette Carter
Dean’s Team Player Award: Jeannette Carter,administrative specialist in the Department of History
In one letter of nomination, the author wrote, “I’ve never seen [her] have a bad day or even a bad moment. Her smile and cheerfulness are relentless. Whatever you bring her, she’s on it as soon as she can, whether she tackles the matter directly or gives it to the work study student, whose supervision is also part of her duties. No one has ever been as efficient at getting travel reimbursements and other financial matters moving.”
And finally, “She is not just a team player, but the kind of person sometimes called a “glue person” – the team member who pulls everyone else together.”
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Outstanding Customer Service: Karen Parker,IT consultant for AAH support in CCIT
One nominator wrote, “In the past eleven years, I have worked at three universities in five positions and I can say, without hesitation, that [she] is the most consistent and reliable co-worker I have worked with.”
The nominator summed it up by saying, “What is most impressive about her, and what truly qualifies her for this award, is her demeanor. She is busy, as clearly seen by her swift pace when she walks across campus, but when she is in your office, working on the issue, she is focused completely on the task at hand, and with a smile.”
CAAH Student Choice Awards:
Each year, the CAAH Student Ambassadors coordinate two awards for faculty in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. The Ambassadors call for nominations and, as a committee, they recognize two members of the faculty for outstanding teaching and advising.
Advisor of the Year: Christopher Grau,associate professor of philosophy
Teacher of the Year: Walt Hunter,assistant professor of English
I was contemplating the satisfying circle of academic life at last month’s graduation ceremony. As our students crossed the Littlejohn Coliseum stage to receive the congratulations from the president, provost and me, I couldn’t help but wonder about the future of each student with whom I shook hands: who was going to win a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar, the Pritzker Prize, an Emmy, a Grammy, Fulbright or Tony? In reality, the students were more likely considering their first job, moving or where their parents might be taking them for dinner!
I also had a sense of pride, not only in the accomplishments of our graduates, but also in the dedicated work of our faculty and staff. The journey to graduation is a shared experience among a student and their professors, advisors, departmental staff and others. From my vantage point, I can see the sense of excitement in the students’ faces as they cross the stage, while also noting, just off the side of the stage, the beaming and proud faces of our faculty as they cheer their students.
Although graduation marks the end of one cycle of the circle of academic life, many of our faculty are already preparing to teach their summer classes, focusing on their research agenda and/or planning some needed time off. That’s the beauty of life in the academy as our newly minted graduates move on and we begin anew.
The Clemson Singers perform at the Evangelische Dorfkirche Jühnsdorf, a village church outside Berlin. Conducting is Professor Anthony Bernarducci.
Graduation is a time for hope, for dreams and celebration. Heartfelt congratulations and well wishes go to each new alumnus/alumna. I hope you will keep in touch with us and remember your time at Clemson as some of the best years of your life where we gave you the tools to have a successful, satisfying and productive life and career.
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The Clemson University Singers recently returned from a successful concert tour of Germany and the Czech Republic. The students performed at some amazing venues, including the final resting place of J.S. Bach and at St. Nicholas Church in Prague. Congratulations to our students for being great Clemson ambassadors!
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With STEAM co-organizers Shannon Robert (professor of performing arts), Brad Putman, (associate dean of undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science) and Dean Anand Gramopadhye.
Congratulations are also due to our STEAM team who assembled an incredible collection of exhibits for the 2017 Artisphere Festival. Clemson’s focus on displaying and providing hands-on opportunities demonstrating our commitment to the merging of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math was on full display last month in downtown Greenville.
Attracting over 100,000 attendees and an estimated economic impact of more than $6 million, Artisphere is a Top-10 nationally ranked arts festival that attracted over 1,100 applications for participation in this year’s festival.
The College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities partners with the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science each year in creating the big STEAM tent. A special thank you to all of our faculty and staff volunteers who worked so hard to make our STEAM event a success!
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Over the past few weeks several faculty members have been honored with national and international awards:
Professor Emeritus Yuji Kishimoto
Professor Emeritus Yuji Kishimoto has been awarded a national medal of distinction, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays Medal by His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan in the ceremony at the Royal Palace in Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recognized his longtime efforts to promote academic, cultural and economic relations between the U.S. and Japan.
Professor Cynthia Haynes
Cynthia Haynes, professor of English and director of first-year composition at Clemson, has won the Rhetoric Society of America’s annual book prize for the best new work in rhetorical study. “The Homesick Phone Book: Addressing Rhetorics in the Age of Perpetual Conflict” was published by Southern Illinois University Press in 2016. The book explores a subject close to Haynes — college composition instruction — by examining the rhetoric of present-day and historical acts of terrorism.
Professor Tharon Howard
Clemson professor of English Tharon Howard has won the 2017 Ken Rainey Award for Excellence in Research from the Society of Technical Communication. The award was presented in April at the organization’s annual summit meeting in Washington, D.C.
Congratulations for the end of another academic year and best wishes from campus for the beginning of summer.
The 2017-2018 academic year is winding down and there is much to report and celebrate. The year has flown by, beginning with opening of the Charleston Design Center in August and wrapping up with the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities commencement ceremony on Friday, when we will welcome the college’s class of 2017. Congratulations to our new graduates!
This month, we take special note of several faculty and staff retirements, including Dana Anderson (School of Architecture), Terry Farris (Real Estate Development), Leora Hall (Philosophy and Religion), Lillian Harder (Performing Arts), Roger Liska, (Construction Science and Management), Tom Oberdan (Dean’s Office), the late Roger Simpson (Languages), Steve Sperry (City Planning and Real Estate Development), and Jim Barker, Professor of Architecture and President Emeritus.
In honor of Jim’s retirement, we have mounted an exhibition of his drawings and watercolors in the dean’s office. This is the first on-campus collection of his work. It’s a remarkable exhibition, and I hope you will have time over the next several months to drop by 108 Strode to view it.
CSArt students with Professor Valerie Zimany (center) and President Clements at the Board of Trustees meeting in April.
There were tremendous accomplishments throughout the college over the past year (and too numerous to list here). I do want to share just a few recent highlights:
Jessica Martin (AAH Student Services) and Peter Laurence (School of Architecture) graduated after successfully participating in the 2017-2018 President’s Leadership Institute.
Diane Perpich (Women’s Leadership) was named outstanding faculty member by the President’s Commission on Women.
Successful accreditation visits were concluded by the Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Master of Construction Science and Management programs.
The CSArt students were introduced to the Clemson University Board of Trustees at their April meeting and presented members of the board with specially made ceramic mugs.
Alumnus Bill Pelham of Greenville pledged $1.2M to various programs in the University, including a significant gift to the School of Architecture.
The new Spirit of the Tiger sculpture was dedicated at the Butler-Cook Tiger Band Plaza.
The hard-working and dedicated staff of the college were celebrated at a special luncheon on Administrative Professionals Day.
At the Tiger Sculpture dedication 2017.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude and sincere appreciation for five outgoing department chairs who have dedicated years of service to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, our students, faculty and staff:
Roger Liska, Construction Science and Management
Lee Morrissey, Department of English
Mary Padua, Department of Landscape Architecture
Greg Shelnutt, Department of Art
Charlie Starkey, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Members of the 2017 CAAH Hall of Fame. Pictured from left, front row: Millard Choate, Ben Skardon, Pat Wannamaker, Jeanet Dreskin and Ronald Moran. Back row: Richard Lou, Doug Hunter, Byron Brooks, Edward Pinckney, Donald Collins, David Wilkins, Michael East, Stephan Barton and Jim Barker. (Not pictured: Harvey Gantt, Ron Rash and Ralph Rynes.)
The College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities has inducted 17 founding members of a new Hall of Fame celebrating alumni, faculty and friends who have made a significant impact upon the educational, research and/or service goals of the college. The induction ceremony was held March 31 at the Madren Conference Center, with 14 of the new members present.
“It was an extraordinary opportunity having so much talent, so much achievement and so much commitment in one room,” said Richard Goodstein, dean of the college. “Each member of this inaugural class will continue to serve as a beacon for all who come afterward. Each and every one will be a very tough act to follow.”
Members of the founding class of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame are listed below, in alphabetical order by nominating department.
Nominated by the School of Architecture: James F. Barker, FAIA
Jim Barker came to Clemson University from Kingsport, Tennessee as an architecture student and track athlete. After graduating from Clemson, he spent several years as a practicing architect, at Mississippi State University and Clemson as a faculty member and dean, and was named Clemson president in 1999.
He led Clemson through an era of dramatic growth in academic quality and reputation, moving from the third tier to Number 20 among national public universities, according to U.S. News and World Report, and gaining Clemson recognition for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and the strong return on investment in tuition that graduates enjoyed. He helped lead the University through a $600-million fundraising campaign, which eventually reached $1 billion. After 14 years of service as President, he returned to the architecture faculty at Clemson and was named President Emeritus. He teaches seminar and studio courses to undergraduate and graduate students.
Jim Barker is a leading voice in higher education for South Carolina and the nation. He has served as President of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and as Chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, and served on the Board of The Shaw Group (a Fortune 500 company). He is also a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Design Forum (formerly the Institute for Urban Design), and a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council.
Jim enjoys traveling, skiing, drawing, painting and spending time with his wife Marcia and their grandchildren.
Nominated by the School of Architecture: Harvey B. Gantt, FAIA
In 1963 Harvey Gantt became the first African-American student to enroll at Clemson University. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Clemson with honors in 1965, and in 1970, he received a Master of City Planning degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Throughout his career, Harvey’s ties with academia have remained strong. He has been a visiting lecturer at a number of prestigious institutions, including Clemson, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2012.
Harvey Gantt entered politics in 1974 and was elected to the Charlotte, N.C. City Council, where he served until 1983. He was then elected to two terms as Charlotte’s first African-American Mayor. In the 1990’s, he ran twice for the U.S. Senate against Jesse Helms.
In 1995 President Bill Clinton appointed Harvey Gantt Chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, on which he served until 2000.
In 2000, Clemson’s multicultural affairs center was named for Gantt and his wife Lucinda, who also attended Clemson. The Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center is committed to creating diverse learning environments that foster the holistic development of all Clemson students.
In 2013, Gantt received the Whitney Young Jr. Award from the American Institute of Architects for his leadership as an agent of social change, as a noted civil rights pioneer, public servant and award-winning architect.
“We believe there has been no other AIA member who has contributed more to the social fabric of our society throughout his lifetime than Harvey Gantt,” wrote his nominators. “He has literally opened doors, provided opportunity, and personally mentored generations of design professionals and civic leaders through his life’s work.”
Harvey and Lucinda Gantt are the proud parents of four children.
Nominated by the Department of Art: Jeanet S. Dreskin
When Jeanet Stecker Dreskin and her late husband Arthur settled in Greenville, S.C. in 1950 to raise their family, she wasn’t thinking about going back to school. She had her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tulane University and a certificate in Medical Art from John Hopkins University. She had also studied at the NY Art Students League. Then the offer came — to become Clemson’s first Master of Fine Arts student. She accepted, she excelled, and she set the bar high for all who have followed in her footsteps.
Dreskin’s paintings are included in the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art and nearly two dozen other museum and permanent collections. Her medical drawings, paintings and other illustrations have been reproduced widely in journals, textbooks and other volumes, including Encyclopedia Britannica, and the National Journal of Surgery. Among her solo exhibitions are shows at the Columbia Museum of Art, S.C.; the Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Ga.; and in 2014, a career retrospective in the Lee Gallery.
Jeanet Dreskin has taught at the Greenville Museum School of Art, at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and as adjunct professor for the University of South Carolina.
In 1984, she was President of South Carolina Watermedia Society, and in 1973, she was President of the Guild of South Carolina Artists. She was an officer of Southern Graphics Council and served on the board for many years. She has also served on the South Carolina Arts Commission Advisory Board.
Dreskin has won numerous awards for her artwork, including the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Lifetime Achievement Governor’s Award for the Arts in 2004. The Verner Award is the highest arts award of the State of South Carolina.
Nominated by the Department of Art: Richard Alexander Lou
Richard Alexander Lou was born in San Diego, Calif. and was raised there and in Tijuana, Mexico. Lou grew up in a biracial family which was spiritually and intellectually guided by an anti-colonialist Chinese father and a culturally affirming Mexicana mother. Lou received his A.A. in Art in 1981 from Southwestern College in California; a B.A. in Fine Art in 1983 from California State University at Fullerton; and a Master of Fine Art in 1986 from Clemson University.
Lou has over 30 years of teaching experience in higher education and over 25 years of arts administration experience as Chair at three different institutions of higher education. He has curated more than 30 exhibitions and continues to produce and exhibit art, while teaching and chairing the Department of Art at the University of Memphis.
As a Chicano artist, the consistent theme he has explored is the subjugation of his community by the dominant culture and white privilege.
Lou has exhibited extensively in venues in the U.S. and around the world, including “Stories on My Back,” a 2016 installation in Clemson’s Lee Gallery.
His art work has been published and/or cited in various newspapers, magazines, catalogs, electronic media, and over 40 scholarly books that include the newly released The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Popular Culture, edited by Frederick Aldama 2016; Born of Resistance: Cara a Cara Encounters with Chicana/o Visual Culture, edited by Victor Sorell and Scott Baugh, University of Arizona Press 2015; War Baby/Love Child: Mixed Race Asian American Art, edited by Laura Kina and Wei Ming Dariotis, Washington Press 2013; and Arte: Actions by Artists of the Americas, 1960-2000, El Museo Del Barrio, NY, NY, edited by Deborah Cullen 2008.
Nominated by the Department of City and Regional Planning: Byron W. Brooks, AICP
Byron Brooks has more than 30 years of professional experience in the public sector. He was appointed as Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Orlando in 2005, and is responsible for assisting the Mayor with the day-to-day oversight and supervision of the City’s operating departments and services. This involves administration of an organization with approximately 3,300 employees and an annual budget of approximately $1.1 billion, serving a community of more than 270,000 residents and thriving businesses. Orlando welcomes over 60 million visitors annually.
Prior to working with the City of Orlando, Brooks served as executive director (chief executive officer) of the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority. He worked with Orange County, Fla. government for more than 14 years, performing as deputy county administrator for 8 years, with day-to-day administrative oversight of as many as 6,000 employees and a $1.7 billion annual operating and capital budget and responsibilities in every service area of local government.
Brooks received his Master of City and Regional Planning from Clemson University and his bachelor’s degree from Furman University. He also completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and he completed the Executive Leadership Institute of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. Brooks obtained his official designation as a certified planner (AICP) from the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association in 1992.
His community involvement includes service on the following: Ninth Judicial Circuit Florida Bar Grievance Committee; University of Central Florida Public Administration Advisory Board (chairman); Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (past chairman); Heart of Florida United Way; YMCA Black Achievers (past chairman); Healthy Community Initiative; and Black Business Investment Fund Loan Committee.
Brooks is married to Sandra Brooks and they have two adult children – Jared and Imani.
Nominated by the Department of Construction Science and Management: Millard Choate
William Millard Choate is the Chairman and CEO of Choate Construction Company, one of the largest commercial building contractors in the southeastern United States.
Since founding the company in 1989, Choate has overseen the growth of the firm from a few employees to over 400 professionals with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. Choate Construction strives to lead the construction industry in advances in virtual construction and building information modeling, LEED® construction and consulting, safety, and risk mitigation. The company is consistently ranked in Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 National Contractors and Top Southeast Contractor lists.
Embodying Choate Construction’s motto “Reputation is Everything,” Millard Choate ensures Choate’s five Southeast offices provide unparalleled construction services, guided by the moral integrity of its core values.
Choate has served as a guest speaker in Clemson’s Construction Science and Management classes on many occasions over the past six years. In addition, he meets on a regular basis with small groups of CSM majors at all year levels, not only to learn about what they are doing but also to provide professional guidance when requested. His company is an active member of the CSM Department’s Corporate Partner Program.
A native of Nashville Tennessee, Choate is a graduate of Father Ryan High School and Vanderbilt University. Active in several organizations, he serves as a Director on the Board of Fidelity Bank, is an active member in the Business Executives for National Security (BENS), and is a member of the Atlanta Rotary.
He supports many organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, HomeStretch, Clemson University, and other military family support charities, to name a few.
Nominated by the Department of Construction Science and Management: Doug Hunter
Doug Hunter is Executive Vice President of Holder Construction Company. Hunter has 28 years of construction experience and has been with Holder for the past 23 years.
Hunter provides leadership on projects encompassing all of Holder’s core markets including clients such as Clemson University, American Airlines, Apple, Cox Communications, Emory University, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Automatic Data Processing (ADP), Hines, Delta Airlines, State Farm Insurance and more.
Doug is also actively involved in professional organizations and the community, including Clemson University. His involvement with Clemson began more than 13 years ago through leading Holder’s on-campus recruiting efforts. As he became more involved, Doug began supporting the Construction Science and Management Department through his active role on the Industry Advisory Board. In 2014, Hunter became Chair of the Executive Committee of the Industry Advisory Board where he has served two terms.
Outside of his involvement at Clemson University, Doug Hunter is a two-term Past President of the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) Board of Directors, 2005-2007, and served on the Board of Directors for AGC of Georgia. He is also very passionate about supporting various nonprofit organizations and is usually the first to throw his name in the hat for a good cause and support someone in need. Hunter is active with Habitat for Humanity, Austin Drive Community Center, The Spinal Shepard Center, First Tee Atlanta and most recently is serving on the Board of Directors of the Community Assistance Center.
Doug Hunter received a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is LEED Accredited by the United States Green Building Council.
Nominated by the Department of English: Ron Rash
Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling novel Serena, in addition to five other novels, including One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, The World Made Straight, and Above the Waterfall; five collections of poems; and six collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the 2010 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, Chemistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award, and most recently, Something Rich and Strange. Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he teaches at Western Carolina University.
Ron Rash earned a bachelor’s degree at Gardner-Webb University, although by his own admission he was “not a great student.” Yet he also showed all the symptoms of being a writer from a young age, most notably comfort in the solitude of time spent alone in the woods along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Still, Rash had entered college with no loftier goal than someday becoming a track coach.
By the time he arrived at Clemson for graduate work in English, Rash was not feeling particularly sure of his path. But it turned out to be the right place at the right time for a would-be writer.
While Rash is best known as a novelist, he started out writing primarily poetry and short stories. He has had poems appear in more than 100 magazines and journals, but didn’t publish his first book until his 40s, the 1994 short-story collection The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories From Cliffside, North Carolina. After a couple of poetry collections came One Foot in Eden, the first of his six novels.*
Rash has just learned that he has been named a 2017 Guggenheim Fellow. The Guggenheim Foundation writes, “Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of impressive achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.”
* Excerpted in part from Clemson World magazine.
Nominated by the Department of English: Beverly N. “Ben” Skardon
Colonel Beverly N. “Ben” Skardon was born on Bastille Day, 1917, in St. Francesville, La. He was one of four brothers who graduated from Clemson College. He entered the U.S. Army in 1939. During WWII, he was captured by the Japanese Army at the fall of Bataan. He is a survivor of the Bataan Death March and the POW camps. He was liberated in 1945 by units of the Russian Army in Mukden, Manchuria.
Colonel Skardon also served in the Korean Conflict from 1951-1952 and in Germany from 1956-1959. His military decorations include the Silver Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; four Bronze Stars, one with “V” device; the Purple Heart; and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Upon retirement from the U.S. Army, Col. Skardon received an M.A. degree in English from the University of Georgia and was appointed to the faculty of Clemson University in 1964. He received the Alumni Master Teacher Award in 1977 for classroom teaching. In 1983, he received the Distinguished Service Award from Clemson University.
Col. Skardon is a past president of the Clemson Fellowship and the Clemson Cotillion Clubs. He served on the Clemson University Athletic Council and as editor of the Clemson University Self-Study, 1981. He is a former member of the Greenville Torch Club. He also served as Warden, Vestryman, Lay Reader, and Archivist of Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish, Clemson.
He is a former member of the Clemson Downs Volunteers and served as secretary, vice president, and director of the Board. He is also a former facilitator of the Clemson Alzheimer’s Support Group. Col. Skardon has recently been named to the United States Army National ROTC Hall of Fame.
For the last ten years, he has participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico as a speaker and a walker. CBS’s Sixty Minutes has featured his participation in that annual event.
Nominated by the Department of History: David H. Wilkins
The Honorable David H. Wilkins earned a bachelor’s degree in History cum laude from Clemson University in 1968. A graduate of Greenville High School, Ambassador Wilkins came to Clemson on a tennis scholarship.
After serving in the United States Army, he attended law school at the University of South Carolina. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1980, serving as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and Speaker Pro Tem before becoming Speaker of the House in 1994.
This made Wilkins the first Republican speaker of the South Carolina legislature since the 1880s. As Speaker of the House, he oversaw the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse in 2000.
In 2005, President George W. Bush chose Wilkins to be the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. He served as ambassador until 2009, during which time he helped resolve several trade issues.
He also worked on energy policy, environmental issues and national security. In 2010 he headed the transition team for newly elected South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
David Wilkins is the recipient of many statewide honors and awards, including the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest honor. He is a member of the Clemson University Board of Trustees, and served as Chairman of the Board for six years.
He was previously recognized by Clemson with an honorary doctorate in the Humanities in 2003. He is currently a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Law Firm in Greenville, S.C.
Nominated by the Department of Landscape Architecture: Donald Lynn Collins, FASLA
Raised in Charlotte, Don was destined to be a landscape architect. His father often engaged in construction projects between his tours of duty as a firefighter. His grandfather was a land developer. Both men were frugal, bringing home job-site wood scraps to re-purpose. While his mother tended the books, young Collins spent hours playing in his grandfather’s storage yard, laying out roads and arranging little wood blocks as “buildings” to form villages. Little did he know that this “design on the land” was the essence of landscape architecture.
After high school, Collins enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. In the USAF, “teaching” college-educated pilots how to navigate the Berlin Corridor gave Collins a new perspective and determination to earn a college degree. Through a USAF-Furman University program, he soon began his academic quest. Following the USAF service, Don Collins enrolled in Clemson University’s architecture program. Attending a guest lecture by a renowned landscape architect altered his career path once again. Collins transferred to NCSU to major in landscape architecture.
Nearing graduation, he was offered a position in the design firm where he had been working as an intern, but with one stipulation — he had to earn an advanced degree at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Finishing the GSD, Collins accepted an academic position at Ball State University’s College of Architecture instead of returning to the firm.
A few years later, Collins joined the faculty of Clemson’s College of Architecture. He served twice as Acting Head of the Department of Architecture. In 1987 he was asked to found the program in Landscape Architecture that he headed for 18 years, growing the program from 4 students to 140. From 1995 to 2005 he also headed the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture.
In 2003, Don was made a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects for his success in developing the Landscape Architecture Program. In 2005 Don received the ASLA’s Jot Carpenter Medal for “sustained academic achievement.” The Carpenter Medal is the ASLA’s highest award to an academic.
Don retired in 2005 but continues in the making of works in the US and Canada.
Nominated by the Department of Landscape Architecture: Edward Pinckney, FASLA
Ed Pinckney received a Bachelor of Architecture from Clemson University in 1958 and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1960.
Until his retirement, he was founder and president of Edward Pinckney/Associates, Ltd., a landscape architecture firm he founded in Bluffton, S.C.
As an architect and landscape architect, Pinckney’s work has taken him all over the world, from the National Park Service in Philadelphia to the University of Melbourne. He provided professional services for 50 years throughout the southeastern U.S., Japan, Croatia, Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Dubai, the UAE and Turkey.
Deep ties to his profession included the following professional affiliations: Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA); Fellow, Urban Design Institute; Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB); Urban Land Institute (ULI); American Planning Association (APA); American Institute of Architects (AIA), Honorary Affiliate.
Ed Pinckney’s ties to Clemson also run deep. He served as Associate Professor of Architecture for 11 years, and two terms as Chairman of the Clemson Architectural Foundation. Among his many awards are the Tau Sigma Delta Medal, awarded by architecture students from the Clemson University chapter, and the Architecture Alumni Achievement Award from Clemson University in 2013.
Civic and community activies include service as a member of the first planning commission for the Town of Hilton Head Island; member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Extraordinary Minister, Holy Family Catholic Church; trustee, Sea Pines Academy; Rotarian of the Year ‘99 VanLandingham Rotary Club, Hilton Head Island (27 yrs.); and member, University of South Carolina, Columbia campus, Architecture Review Board, 2011-2015.
Nominated by the Department of Languages: Ralph Rynes, M.D., Ph.D., FDTI
Prior to his retirement, Dr. Ralph Rynes was a board-certified physician with more than 30 years’ experience in treating the neurological aspects of infectious diseases. He worked primarily with individuals living with HIV and co-occurring mental health or substance use disorders. He earned a B.A. at Clemson University and an M.A. at the Universität Hamburg in Germany before completing his Doctoral degrees (M.D. and Ph.D.) at l’Université Denis Diderot. Dr. Rynes completed clinical and research residencies in Neurology and Neuroscience at l’Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris, France, followed by post-doctoral research in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He specialized in Prion diseases and in the treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C as well as the neurobiology of substance use disorders, practicing at the Immunology Center of the USC School of Medicine, the largest infectious diseases clinic in South Carolina.
Additionally, Rynes provided cultural sensitivity training to other physicians and support staff on Latino, French-speaking African refugee, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender treatment nuances, in addition to providing HIV/AIDS training and cultural sensitivity training for S.C. Alcohol and Drug Commissions, S.C. and other states’ Primary Healthcare Associations, the National Association of Addictions Counselors, the S.C. Health Information Management Association, S.C. DHEC and a host of national organizations.
Rynes now volunteers with Doctors Without Borders in a consulting capacity and continues to work to mitigate the stigma associated with HIV, Hepatitis C, and mental health and substance use disorders in the U.S. and Western Europe.
Special interests include Prion diseases, the neuro-chemical pathways of addiction and specialized treatment issues in LGBT and Latino and African refugee populations.
Prior to retirement, he served on numerous national and international boards, as well as serving on and chairing the boards of the Columbia Free Medical Clinic and the Columbia Oral Health Clinic.
Nominated by the Department of Languages: Patricia W. Wannamaker
Pat Wannamaker received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She taught English and German for nine years in secondary schools in the state before finishing her Ph.D. in German and linguistics at Louisiana State University in 1964.
Wannamaker finished a 25-year teaching career at Clemson as founding Director of the Language and International Trade baccalaureate degree program under the funding of the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE).
Pat Wannamaker envisioned a Clemson Language and International Trade degree that would combine humanistic and technical learning to develop cultural sensitivity as a marketing tool in global business.
She formed partnerships with supporting agencies, and multinational firms were also a vital part of the success of L&IT: in example, the S.C. State Development Board; the S.C. Ports Authority; the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, and the many upstate multinational firms and their parent companies around the world.
Wannamaker also invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting high school students for visits to Clemson’s campus, and more specifically to provide information to the potential future Language and International Trade majors.
Nominated by the Department of Performing Arts: Michael East
Since moving to Charleston, Mike East has had the privilege of working on productions of many shapes and sizes with dozens of other Clemson alumni. From not-for-profit operas to multi-million-dollar Broadway productions, Mike has managed and installed over 100 shows across 49 states and 9 countries. He currently serves as a Senior Production Manager for Work Light Productions and as the Technical Supervisor for Spoleto Festival USA. Mike is also a founder and the President of TTS Studios, a custom fabrication company that specializes in scenery construction for the performing arts industry.
Mike grew up in Bluffton, S.C. While in high school, he worked for his father doing construction and developed his passion for building and creating structures. During this time, Mike also stumbled into theatre at his school; not because he liked the idea of performing show tunes, but because he realized he could use his skills for a creative purpose.
Mike planned to attend Clemson for construction science, but when visiting with a friend who was interviewing for the Department of Performing Arts, he was introduced to a few of the faculty and staff. After some encouragement from his new acquaintances, Mike declared his major in Production Studies for the Performing Arts with a Theatre concentration. Throughout his years at Clemson, he practiced his craft on nearly every Brooks Center production gaining real-world experience and building lifelong professional relationships.
During his junior year, the Director of the Brooks Center, Lillian Harder, convinced a New York producer to use the Brooks Center as the rehearsal space and first stop of a touring theatre production. During this production, Mike met Rhys Williams, who would become his longtime mentor, colleague and friend. The following summer, Mike worked for Rhys in Charleston as a carpenter at the Spoleto Festival and continued working on several projects for Rhys during his senior year. After graduating, Mike was offered a scholarship to attend San Diego State University’s graduate theatre program. About a year later, Rhys called and offered Mike a job opportunity that he could not refuse, so he happily moved back to the southeast.
Nominated by the Department of Philosophy and Religion: Stephan Barton
Stephan C. Barton is President of Physicians Financial Services, LLC in Atlanta, Ga., and has specialized in comprehensive financial and estate services for the affluent since 1983. He is a Certified Senior Advisor, Registered Investment Advisor, and Registered Financial Consultant. From 1988 until 2005, Stephan was President of MAG Mutual Financial Services in Atlanta, which was endorsed by the Medical Association of Georgia, 23 county medical societies, and five specialty societies. Stephan started that company, and it grew to serve over 4,000 physicians in 32 states. After retiring from MAG Mutual Financial, he founded Physicians Financial Services in Dunwoody, Ga., and continues to serve individual physicians across the southeast with their financial needs.
Stephan has been published in the Medical Association of Georgia Journal, five other medical journals, the National Underwriter and Ticker magazines, and has been a featured conference speaker in Geneva, Rome, Madrid, London, Las Vegas and Denver. He has been awarded MDRT Top of the Table multiple times, and Agent of the Year from mutiple companies.
He received his B.A. in English from Clemson in 1972. While at Clemson, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega, the Scabbard and Blade and Blue Key national honor societies, was a Tiger letterman on the track team and listed in Who’s Who. Stephan received his master’s and doctorate in clinical counseling from Southeastern Baptist Seminary in 1975 and 1979. He is a founding board member of the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson, past chairman of the AAH Board of Advisors, a Distinguished Alumni Fellow since 2001, and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Medical School of Mercer University in Macon.
Stephan has been married to Mary Batten for 36 years, and they have three grown children. They both serve as deacons at First Baptist Church of Athens, Ga., as well as on numerous committees, and Stephan is a trustee of the FBC Foundation.
Nominated by the Department of Philosophy and Religion: Ronald Moran
Ronald Moran joined the Clemson faculty in 1975 after having spent nine years at UNC-Chapel Hill, one year of which he served as a Fulbright Lecturer in West Germany at the University of Wuerzburg. During his tenure at Clemson, Moran taught a variety of courses, with an emphasis on modern poetry and the creative writing of poetry.
Consistent with his graduate training at LSU (M.A., Ph.D.) and teaching areas, Moran has published 15 books and chapbooks. Six of his books of poetry were issued by the Clemson University Press. He has also published approximately 500 poems in a variety of magazines along with a number of articles and book reviews.
He has received a number of recognitions for his writings. Moran also served in a number of administration positions at Clemson: Head, Department of English; Assistant and Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Interim Administrator, Speech and Communications Program; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities; Interim Dean, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.
Moran and his wife, Jane, were married for 50 years prior to her death in 2009. They have twin children, Sally DeFore (Macon, Georgia) and Wes Moran (Carrollton, Georgia), along with five grandchildren.
Campus is buzzing with all the activities the end of the school year brings. Final projects, senior recitals, term papers, thesis completion and art exhibits all converge in April, bringing a sense of excitement, celebration, nervousness and relief – depending on whether you’re a student, faculty member or parent!
April is also a time when faculty see the fruits of their work over the course of a student’s time on campus. As Dean, I am extraordinarily proud of the accomplishments of our students under our faculty’s tutelage. I have a unique perspective on a daily basis to see the distinctive complexity and diversity of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. With disciplines ranging from Landscape Architecture to Philosophy, we prepare students for a world that is changing at an exponential rate. There is no doubt our faculty take great care in the multiple responsibilities of teaching every undergraduate student a majority of Clemson’s general education competencies, in addition to specific areas of study in the arts, design and building, and the humanities. I believe our faculty have a commitment to engaging our students in teaching how our past informs the future, clear modes of communication, and the development of creativity and critical thinking skills.
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Last week the College inducted the founding members of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame. We inducted 17 members of the founding class at an amazing ceremony and dinner with our department leaders introducing each inductee who had been nominated by the 10 academic departments. Congratulations to each inductee for their honor! (Please see story above.)
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Mickey Harder, right, and members of her family (from left): son Bill Harder, son-in-law Elliott Botzis and daughter Elizabeth Botzis.
Also in March, we honored Mickey Harder on her upcoming retirement as a full-time faculty member and director of the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. After 44 years at Clemson, including 16 years as Brooks Center director, Mickey has provided transformational leadership for the performing arts in the state, region and nation and incredible educational opportunities for Clemson students. Her work as a passionate arts presenter and visionary leader has clearly placed the Brooks Center as a world-class performing arts center. Please help me congratulate Mickey on a remarkable career!
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The Clemson Players’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” spring 2017.
This month I feature the Production Studies in Performing Arts degree program, which is housed in the Brooks Center. The program uses the center as a living-learning laboratory that merges student engagement opportunities in a professional roadhouse with an academic degree program – a nationally distinctive degree program. Now in its 16th year, the program has grown to close to 100 majors from an initial class of 12. Students choose from specific concentrations in audio technology, music or theatre with core classes in subjects that include website development; mock interviews; discussions with industry professionals; arts administration; grant writing workshops; arts leadership; writing, critiquing and presentation skills; and attendance at professional arts events. The degree program has graduates sprinkled throughout the performing arts industry, from Nashville to New York to touring Broadway shows. As my home discipline, I couldn’t be prouder of the alumni, students, faculty and staff involved in our Production Studies program.
In closing, I extend spring greetings for April and warm wishes from campus. Go Tigers!
We also learned recently that three of the college’s degree programs – English, visual arts and history – have placed at the top of the 2017 rankings for academic programs in South Carolina. Zippia, a career counseling website, says Clemson’s undergraduate English, visual arts and history degrees offer the best opportunity for students in these majors among all institutions of higher learning in the state, public and private. These were the only three academic disciplines within AAH that Zippia examined. For history, Clemson topped a list that included The Citadel, Presbyterian, USC-Columbia and Furman. In English, the list of the top five also included Presbyterian, USC-Columbia, Furman and Coastal Carolina. In fine arts, Clemson’s visual arts major came in at No. 1 above USC-Columbia, Furman, Coastal Carolina and USC-Aiken. It’s nice to have validation that we are state champions, both on and off the football field!
