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Clemson University hosts second annual National Men of Color Summit

April 18, 2018

On April 12-13, Clemson University hosted the second annual National Men of Color Summit at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The sold-out summit was attended by two thousand people and had over 45 sessions designed to encourage students to evaluate and discover their full potential. The two-day event was sponsored by a variety of corporate partners including BB&T, Michelin, Hubbell Lighting, BMW, ScanSource, Duke Energy, Bon Secours, Synnex, Boeing, Milliken and Fluor.

Keynote speakers included:

– President James E. Clark, South Carolina State University
– Brian Heat, Educator and Entrepreneur
– President Chris Howard, Robert Morris University
– Tom Joyner, radio host of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show”
– Roland Martin, journalist
– Wes Moore, CEO and founder of BridgeEdu
– Commissioner Carlos Santiago, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
– Damon Williams, chief catalyst, Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership and Social Innovation
– Juan Williams, FOX News political analyst and commentator

“We intentionally identify speakers and presenters who can identify with the challenges and issues these students face,” Lee Gill, Clemson’s chief diversity officer, said. “We want these students to see themselves in the successes of our speakers.”

The goal of the summit was to engage and develop relationships among the participants, expose them to the college environment, provide positive male role models, connect students to campus resources, and help attendees take ownership of their own success.