An invitation to our alumni and other Clemson friends:
Want to help the next generation of students succeed?
Join CAAH On Deck, a new online mentoring program that connects students in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and professionals in similar fields.
Here’s how it works: All you have to do is fill out a professional online profile on CAAH On Deck. Students will be able to search CAAH On Deck to connect with mentors whose interests and expertise match their own career aspirations.
All communication between students and mentors takes place through CAAH On Deck. You can decide how many students you’d like to mentor and whether you’d like to advise students on a short-term or long-term basis.
You can customize your experience and your privacy is protected. Short-term mentoring may involve answering questions from students about how to write a cover letter or resume or how to apply for internships or balance life and work. Longer-term mentoring connects professionals with students for regular visits in-person or through video links.
We hope you’ll join us and set up your profile. Our students want to realize their dreams, and you can help them achieve them.
Current Clemson University students will be learning more about the program this fall.
Greetings from just outside Disneyland in Anaheim, California. As you may have seen above, I am honored to have the opportunity to spend a few weeks rehearsing some of the finest college musicians in the United States as music director of the 2018 Disney All-American Band. The quality of the student musicians in the All-American College Band is world-class, as is the Walt Disney Company.
Here was a moment directing the band at the 2015 All-American College Band reunion. This summer, it’s an honor to serve as music director of the Disneyland All-American College Band. Image courtesy of Disney
During my 30-year relationship with Disney, I’ve noticed two striking similarities between Clemson and Disney. First is a laser focus on customer service. At Clemson University, we are determined to provide our students with a world-class educational and living/learning experience, one which gives our graduates a full set of tools to succeed in life and make the world a better place. The Disney Company offers guests a one-of-a-kind experience they will never forget, and one that cannot be replicated outside the park. Disney’s focus on customer service is unparalleled and its attention to detail is truly remarkable. A culture of customer service pervades everything – the custodial staff, management, meticulous landscaping and stunning entertainment and attractions.
The second similarity I have noted this week is branding, and a neverending quest to protect the brand and everything that it stands for. When you see Walt Disney’s famous signature or Mickey Mouse’s ears, you know it represents a company that provides world-class entertainment and family experiences you can trust. When you see the iconic Clemson tiger paw, you know it represents a high-quality, Top-25 public university and athletic teams that are always competitive. Building a brand takes decades. Protecting the brand is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year job that, as we all have seen recently, can be jeopardized in a blink of an eye.
I am thrilled to spend a few weeks in California, and appreciate the opportunity to help spread the Clemson brand west and to support the best live entertainment company in the world.
STEAM rises at Artisphere
In May, a large contingent of Clemson students and faculty showcased our collaborative work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) at Greenville’s Artisphere festival. An annual highlight of Artisphere is the Clemson STEAM tent, where interactive, educational demonstrations are on full display. Approximately 75 student and faculty volunteers worked together the weekend after graduation to highlight our student and faculty projects.
The “R2D2 Meets Rembrandt” drawing robots delighted visitors at the Clemson STEAM tent at Artisphere.
Thousands of visitors explored and participated in activities that featured several projects that grew out of research in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. Visitors programmed drawing robots in “R2D2 Meets Rembrandt,” developed by Barbara Ramirez. They learned how to draw in one- and two-point perspective, and how to transform ideas from paper to reality in “2D Drawing to 3D Models,” developed by Shannon Robert, Will Avery and Matthew Leckenbusch. Guests played the Clemson carillon bells remotely in “Coding for the Carillon: Automating Clemson’s Bell Tower,” developed by Linda Dzuris and a team of Creative Inquiry students. Visitors experienced how theater lighting affects color perception in Tony Penna’s “Color Booth,” and they explored how to create shape-shifting structures and materials through origami. In addition to all of these activities focused on STEAM education, Valerie Zimany led student and faculty volunteers from the Clemson Department of Art as they spent Artisphere weekend presenting live demonstrations.
Congratulations to all of our participating students and faculty for representing Clemson with such distinction.
College awards
The 2018 class of Creativity Professors was announced at last month’s end-of-year faculty/staff meeting. In the School of the Arts, Anthony Bernarducci (Performing Arts) was announced, as was David Lee (Architecture) from the School of Design + Building and Ben White (Philosophy and Religion), who will represent the School of the Humanities. Congratulations to these deserving faculty members.
I also announced the peer-reviewed Dean’s Excellence faculty and staff award winners:
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Rachel Moore (History)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research: Angela Naimou (English)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service: Jan Holmevik (English)
Dean’s Team Player Award: Shannon Baldwin (Dean’s Office)
Dean’s Customer Service Award: Nancy Martin (Brooks Center)
Congratulations to each of these faculty and staff members for being recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities!
Promotions and tenure
Finally, I want to recognize and congratulate these faculty members whose well-deserved promotions were recently announced:
Amit Bein (History), promotion to full professor
Nic Brown (English), tenure and promotion to associate professor
Ufuk Ersoy (Architecture), tenure and promotion to associate professor
Anjali Joseph (Architecture), tenure and promotion to full professor
Johannes Schmidt (Languages), promotion to full professor
Will Stockton (English), promotion to full professor
Eric Touya (Languages), promotion to full professor
Kim Misener Dunn (Languages), promotion to senior lecturer
Michael Hannen (Philosophy and Religion), promotion to senior lecturer
Allison Hinds (Languages), promotion to senior lecturer
Eric Lapin (Performing Arts), promotion to senior lecturer
Ellory Schmucker (Languages), promotion to senior lecturer
Robert Stephens (Philosophy and Religion), promotion to senior lecturer
Kenneth Widgren (Languages), promotion to senior lecturer
In closing, best wishes to all from the “Happiest Place on Earth,”
We have reached the end of the 2017-2018 academic year and sighs of relief and cheers of joy are resonating throughout campus – from students and faculty alike! In the words of T.S. Eliot, noted British author and poet, “April is the cruelest month.” Although we know Eliot spent time at Harvard and Oxford, it’s unlikely he faced the types of grading deadlines, end-of-year pressures and other academic rituals that are common at the modern university.
Sam Trivinia works on completing pieces of an untitled art installation for the BFA group exhibition “Existence.”
April was also one of our happiest months, as we paused to celebrate student achievements, congratulate upcoming graduates, recognize faculty accomplishments, celebrate the work of our staff, reflect on all of the successes of the prior year, and look forward to a summer that takes on a slightly more relaxed pace. Faculty members often use the summer to travel, reset their research agenda and plan for the upcoming year. Before long, however, next year’s first-year students will arrive for summer orientation, and the cycle of the academic year will be renewed.
Looking back over the last several weeks, I am amazed at how many activities and student events we enjoyed. This year’s Lit Fest was a huge success, with Paul Beatty and other great authors giving inspired readings. Our music and art students presented their capstone projects with amazing creativity; our design students completed their final projects with remarkable ingenuity; and many of our students submitted term papers that demonstrated their research achievements. On my way across campus yesterday, the academic year was beautifully captured as I saw two coeds posing with their mortarboards and Deshaun Watson jerseys in front of the Tiger Cub. What a great picture!
From my office, I see students saying goodbye for the summer and taking the unmistakable “end-of-the-semester” stroll across the library bridge. As we transition into the summer, I am reminded that the absence of students on campus is temporary, but we can look forward to fewer meetings over the next two months and possibly less traffic.
Campus accolades
Congratulations are in order for a number of CAAH students and faculty who are receiving University-level awards this week:
Alumni Master Teacher Award – Joe Burgett, Construction Science and Management
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award – Matthew Leckenbusch, Performing Arts
Frankie O. Felder Graduate Student Award – Deborah Wingler, Ph.D. program, Architecture + Health Concentration in Planning, Design and the Built Environment
Thomas Green Clemson Award for Excellence – Cynthia Haynes, English
Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry – Arelis Moore de Peralta, Department of Languages
Arelis Moore de Peralta earned the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry.
I also want to recognize Jan Holmevik of English, who recently took the gavel as the new president of the Faculty Senate and Matt Powers of the Landscape Architecture program, the most recent CAAH graduate from the President’s Leadership Institute. Congratulations to all these members of the College who have been recognized by their peers for their outstanding teaching, research and/or service to Clemson University.
I close with the sad news of the passing of Nick Peck, the longtime Tiger Band announcer and author of band’s signature “The Band That Shakes the Southland” tagline. Nick was one of the first people I met upon my arrival at Clemson and he will be missed by all of us in the Clemson family.
Congratulations to the Class of 2018 and best wishes to all for a fun, productive and relaxing summer.
Where did March go? As we come into the full bloom of spring, it’s a pleasure to reflect on the last few weeks and attempt to understand how time can accelerate with such abandon. I look at the calendar and have a hard time processing how there are less than 15 days remaining in the spring semester. It seems like football season just ended and we were enjoying the holiday break – now the end of the year is upon us.
The Atelier InSite public art program brought “Foundation” to Lee III.
March is one of the most enjoyable months of the academic year (and not just because of spring break)! It is a month filled with opportunities to meet candidates who are visiting campus for positions in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. The incredible power of the Clemson national brand is reaffirmed as I talk to the impressive candidates from across the country, and sometimes from across the world, who want to join our faculty. (A candidate even came from Australia for an interview).
One successful candidate is Dr. Becky Becker, who will be joining us as our new chair of the Department of Performing Arts this summer. Dr. Becker is currently Professor of Theatre and Assistant Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Columbus State University in Georgia. She is very active in the Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival and the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and has expansive experience in global engagement through her service as the study abroad coordinator at her school.
Volkan Alkanoglu, left, and Matthew Au spoke about “Foundation” March 28 at its dedication.
I am also pleased to announce that Karen Land has been promoted to Public Information Director for the College, following Jeannie Davis’ retirement. Karen is well-positioned to provide outstanding leadership for our communication efforts. Prior to her arrival at Clemson, she served as a News and Media Specialist for Arts and Culture at Indiana University. She has a Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art and Journalism degree from Indiana University and is a passionate advocate for the arts, design and the humanities. I look forward to her promoting news of the good work of our students, faculty and staff.
Last month we dedicated the new public art piece, “Foundation,” in Lee III. It’s a stunning piece of metalwork that beautifully reflects light that changes hour by hour, according to the angle of the sun across Lee Hall. Congratulations to the students and faculty from our Atelier InSite Creative Inquiry project, who facilitated this project and to the artists Volkan Alkanoglu and Matthew Au for their work.
Transformational travel
Here is the view of Genoa from The Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies.
Speaking of spring break, last month several members of the Clemson Architecture Foundation Board of Directors joined Director of the School of Architecture Kate Schwennsen and me in a site visit to our programs in Barcelona and Genoa. I can confidently report that we continue to give our students transformational educational experiences through our Fluid Campus program. One of the highlights of the trip was an exclusive “backstage tour” of the Gaudi’s incredible Sagrada Familia, where we were able to see how laser imaging and 3-D printing have come together to dramatically accelerate the projected completion date to 2026. A special note of gratitude to Miguel Roldan (Barcelona) and Sylvia Carrol (Genoa) who provide wonderful leadership for our European-based Fluid Campus programs.
Transformational leaders
On March 9 we inducted eight new members to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame. Congratulations to this year’s class, who have made significant and lasting contributions to the College:
Clifton S.M. “Chip” Egan, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities
Thomas Phifer, FAIA, School of Architecture
John Acorn, Department of Art
Roger Liska, Department of Construction Science and Management
Art Young, Department of English
Jerry Reel,Department of History
Mickey Harder, Department of Performing Arts
Betsy Goodale, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Above and beyond
You may have heard about our recent encounter with bats in the Brooks Theatre. With the change of weather, a colony of bats became active in the theatre, and we needed to temporarily move some of our April events off-campus. Our Brooks Center production team and administration have gone above and beyond the call of duty. They took swift action to ensure student safety, and to produce performances at alternate sites. Since I did not get bat remediation training in grad school, I am deeply grateful for their work!
I close with news of another national ranking for one of our programs. Our Department of Landscape Architecture was recently ranked 5th in the country by “The Best Colleges” website. Congratulations to the faculty and staff in Landscape Architecture for this prestigious recognition.
To our faculty, staff, students, donors, and friends – thank you for all you do for the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. To our prospective students – I hope you will join us!
February has disappeared and the promise of warm weather has campus abuzz with classes in high gear, faculty immersed in teaching and scholarship, and the spring semester racing toward spring break. Like clockwork, the pace of the spring semester accelerates as the temperatures rise. As both students and faculty look forward to a brief break, the last six weeks of the academic year are filled with the anticipation of final projects, recitals, exhibitions and exams.
From top left, David Blakesley, Maribel Morey, Linda Tindal and Victor J. Vitanza received the Board of Trustees 2017 Award for Excellence.
One of the joys of academic life is the renewal of the process each year. One class of students goes into the world with the value of a Clemson degree in hand, and simultaneously, we look forward to the next generation of Tigers joining us in August. As the myriad of events that mark the end of another year come and go, we begin to look forward to the next year with student recruitment, fall class scheduling and faculty hiring in process. It’s a cycle that never fails to renew a spirit of rebirth and excitement.
In early February, I was honored to share some of our accomplishments and strategic plans at the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities with the Clemson University Board of Trustees. It was an opportunity for me to reflect on the core values of our College and our opportunities to transform the next generation of students. The report was well-received, and I am appreciative of the support of my colleagues in putting together the report. I was grateful that the board showed their appreciation of the value of the arts, design and humanities within the Clemson mission.
The Board of Trustees recently presented three CAAH faculty with the 2017 Award for Excellence, in acknowledgment of significant national accolades. History professor Maribel Morey was honored as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, and Victor J. Vitanza and David Blakesley of English were honored as Rhetoric Society of America Fellows. Among the board’s 2017 Staff Awards, Linda Tindal was named Student Choice winner. Tindal is coordinator for the women’s leadership and Pan African studies programs, in addition to her work on behalf of two president’s commissions.
Rhondda Robinson Thomas, left, won a Whiting fellowship. Jeannie Davis retired in February.
I am extraordinarily proud of all of these members of the CAAH family and their awards.
Jeannie Davis, who has been the College’s public information officer for the past 12 years, retired at the end of February. Jeannie has been instrumental in the college’s brand, messaging and spirit and will be missed by all of us. She has been the voice and heart of the college and a trusted member of my leadership team. I wish her joy and happiness in retirement.
In closing, I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement of our students, faculty and staff. It’s a great time to be a Tiger.
Our students, faculty and alumni constantly remind me of their talent, creativity and thoughtful interpretations of the world around us through their inspired work.
Over the past month, I had the opportunity to see several noteworthy projects that provided tangible evidence of how the college’s focus on collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and different forms of communication are resulting in world-class research and artistic accomplishment.
Dean Richard Goodstein takes in “The Last Glacier” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Professor Todd Anderson’s prints are featured in the collaborative limited-edition book.
At the same time, I was struck by how critically important our work in CAAH is at Clemson. Research by industry thought leaders such as Google, IBM and the World Economic Forum indicates that employers are looking for graduates with a balance between “hard skills” in technology and the personal attributes that enable them to interact effectively in the workplace – the strong communication and collaboration skills we focus on in the College.
In January, I was proud to see Todd Anderson’s woodcut print interpretation of the shrinking glaciers in Glacier National Park on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is a remarkable accomplishment as The Met rarely acquires art from living, academic-based artists. All 15 copies of Anderson’s co-authored book “The Last Glacier” have been acquired, not only by The Met, but also the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Yale, Wellesley, and of course, Clemson! For an inside look at Todd’s process, see the 2017 Clemson World magazine article “Thin Ice.”
Our design programs in Charleston are thriving in their new home at the Cigar Factory. The latest accomplishment was the January unveiling of a full-size mock operating room that was the product of a $4.1M grant from the Department Health and Human Services to improve healthcare through human-centered design. In the transformational project spearheaded by Anjali Joseph and David Allison, Clemson faculty and students are developing a safer, flexible operating room that focuses on the changing needs of doctors, nurses and patients. Clemson is partnering with the Medical University of South Carolina. The project, “Realizing Improved Patient Care Through Human-Centered Design in the OR,” has already won two national awards for conceptual design and the reimagined operating room will be installed at MUSC’s Ambulatory Surgery Center in the future. As industry professionals agreed at the unveiling, Clemson’s Health + Architecture program is unparalleled in the country.
Ron Rash read new work and answered questions.
Last week, best-selling author Ron Rash gave an inspired reading of some of his poems and an extended piece from an upcoming novel. Ron, who earned a Master of Arts in English from Clemson, paid tribute to his college mentors, including three influential members of the Clemson faculty who recently passed away: Frank Day, Bill Koon and Roger Rollin. Ron said he “owes so much to this university.” His writing provides deep insights into the roots of Appalachian culture, and I am grateful to him for sharing his time and work with an enthusiastic audience.
Finally, be sure to watch for an upcoming “Clemson Moments” commercial during the Winter Olympics that will feature Rayshad Dorsey, a 2017 architecture grad who is now attending Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design on a full-ride scholarship.
It’s a great time to be a Clemson Tiger, and I offer you warm wishes for February.
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 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.
Here’s how it works: All you have to do is fill out a professional online profile on CAAH On Deck. Students will be able to search CAAH On Deck to connect with mentors whose interests and expertise match their own career aspirations.
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 
