Month: October 2017

Dear Friends,

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!

Happy Autumn and Go Tigers!

Rick

Dear Friends,

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.

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!

Rick