Emeritus College

Making a Difference

Clemson University’s Give Day–April 10, 2024

Dear Emeritus Faculty and Friends of the College,

You may have received emails from the University about the annual Give Day, Wednesday, April 10, 2024.  We hope that you will consider a gift to the Emeritus College. Your gifts do make a difference to the Emeritus College and directly to the Emeritus Faculty. You may donate HERE.  Unrestricted gifts support major events and an array of programming.  In addition, you may contribute to the Emeritus College’s Scholarship fund or one of our two endowments.

We have added panel discussions and coffees to welcome new emeritus faculty to the EC facilities in the CAT Building, expanded programming to include music, special interest groups, and added excursions for emeritus faculty.  The College’s goal is to facilitate retiring faculty to be actively engaged in the college, the community, and the university, a place to encourage and facilitate creativity, continued engagement, and crossing boundaries among and between disciplines.

You can donate online (click HERE) or  you also may mail or hand-deliver a check to the Emeritus College Office (511 Westinghouse Road, Pendleton, SC 29670). Make your check out to Clemson University Foundation with Emeritus College in the memo line. Every donation counts and enables the Emeritus College to provide essential benefits to the emeritus faculty and the university!

Our annual celebration, Emeritus Day, is April 17th and we hope you will join us to welcome new colleagues into the Emeritus family.

Dr. Bonnie Stevens
Chair, Emeritus College Advisory Board

Emeritus Faculty Recognized For Excellence In Community Service

OCTOBER 3, 2023

The Clemson Emeritus College gathered on Tuesday, October 3 for the annual Fall Picnic and Business Meeting. Approximately 150 emeritus faculty enjoyed great food and conversation while welcoming new members. During the meeting, the group evaluated, voted upon and passed changes to the Emeritus College bylaws and strategic plan, and the college awarded the prestigious Emeritus College Community Service Award to two very deserving Emeritus faculty for their outstanding decades of community service.

Gordon Howard, Professor Emeritus of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

Since 1984, Howard has offered his services as a licensed bird bander on the grounds of the Crown Point State Historic Site in New York. The historic site is designated as an important bird area by the National Audubon Society, a bird conservation area by the state of New York and is referred to as a banding ‘station’.

A woman gives a man an award and both are smiling at each other.

Bird banding is an effort to track different species of migratory birds that pass through the region every year in order to collect ecological data and improve conservation efforts. With climate change and deforestation, the unbroken string of the station’s banding records is becoming increasingly important. Presentations to groups and individuals who visit the station are designed to involve visitors with wildlife in a non-consumptive manner, which include the visitor releasing a banded bird. In 1988 Howard began giving a Polaroid picture to each person releasing a banded bird to show friends and family. A follow-up Educational Certificate Program was begun in 1995 whereby trifold certificates were mailed to releasers that include an image of the bird, a brief life history of the bird species, the banding information and Clemson University’s support for the program.

In 1997, releasers began to be notified when “their bird” was captured at the banding station or at another location. After the station closes each year Howard enters the data into the state and federal government databases, writes the Atlantic Flyway Report and sends a summary report to each visitor. In 2015, Howard also began an apprenticeship program of future banders. In addition to banding, two tail feathers are collected from “target species” as part of the stations third year of cooperation with the Bird Genoscape Project, a hemisphere wide avian genetics research program managed by units of the University of California – Los Angeles and Colorado State University.

Barry Nocks, Professor Emeritus of City and Regional Planning
A woman gives a man an award and both are smiling at a photographer.

Nocks has devoted himself to public service over the past two decades. In 2001, his leadership as chair of the Reedy River Master Planning Committee paved the way for a plan that profoundly change Greenville. His vision of the Swamp Rabbit Trail and the revitalization of the Reedy River as a public amenity has been the impetus for Greenville’s urban planning priorities. 

Nocks also served as a member and chairman of the City of Greenville’s Planning Commission from 2000-2009. He then chaired and served as a member of Greenville’s Design Review Board from 2009 to 2017, during the city’s unprecedented growth following the recession. Nocks also served as a volunteer on numerous Greenville planning committees focused on preservation, housing and strengthening the city’s zoning ordinances. As a certified arbitrator, his mediation skills played a valuable role in shaping major mixed-use developments. Most recently, he worked closely with the city to develop the Greenville 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the 2023 Development Code. Perhaps the greatest testimony comes from the many Master of City and Regional Planning alumni who continually ask for his advice in dealing with difficult planning issues. Nicknamed ‘Yoda’ by his peers, Nock’s wisdom and tireless efforts in public service have made Greenville one of America’s most livable communities.

Twentieth Anniversary of Clemson’s Emeritus College

Chip Egan

Clifton “Chip” Egan, Dean and Professor Emeritus of Performing Arts and IDE Emeritus College Fellow


Good morning! Allow me to begin by offering my sincere congratulations to the newest members of the Clemson University Emeritus College. I like to think of my own retirement as the best promotion I ever received. You are beginning a delightful and enriching journey of the life-of-the-mind joining with new academic and social colleagues you may have never had a chance to get to know. Among the many wonderful benefits of EC membership is the pleasant dissolving of the academic boundaries you spent your career adhering to. The Emeritus College offers you a chance to meet, work with, and get to know some of the most enriching, far flung, and amazing minds the academy has to offer. Welcome to adventure.

President Clements, Senior Associate Provost Lawton-Rauh, deans and department heads, family members and well-wishers, and my fellow emeritus faculty, it is my distinct privilege to speak to you today on the occasion of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Clemson University Emeritus College. This is a day for looking back on two decades of accomplishment and growth, for taking stock of where we are as a college and, perhaps most significantly, looking forward to the coming decade of new horizons and challenges for the Emeritus College.

With your indulgence, I’d like to take a few minutes to reflect on my personal journey of retirement as a member of the Emeritus College for nineteen of the past twenty years. I first retired in 2004 after 28 years of teaching at Clemson. I arrived in 1976 as an assistant professor of theatre in the English department. When I filled out my employment papers and enrolled in the various benefit programs, the only option for retirement was the SC Retirement System. It was just as well. At age 24, I could have easily made a bad decision, had I had any choice.

In 2004, my decision to retire may have been a little ill-considered, but I was resolute. As a theatre professor and practitioner with a career-long collection of professional contacts, including former students, I wanted to start a second career as a self-employed, freelance theatre professional. For the next two years, my supremely patient wife, Diane, and I lived largely on the road in temporary housing provided by theatre companies around the country. We followed contract employment to places like Boston; Raton, NM; Moscow, ID; Roanoke, VA and Hilton Head, SC. Diane worked as an actor and stage manager, and I worked as an actor, director and designer. It was a life of variety and adventure, but not particularly comfortable or grounded.

In one housing arrangement in New Mexico, we lived for a summer stock season in an historic but only semi-maintained and un air-conditioned historic hotel called the El Portal. The occupants were a combination of tourists, fellow theatre employees and itinerant laborers. We lived in a semi-furnished suite of rooms with another couple and ended up using various cardboard boxes for coffee tables and side tables. We were living the life of theatre vagabonds. A couple of years later, the El Portal burned to the ground.

By spring 2006, I was living in an extended stay hotel in Roanoke, VA, while directing the premier of a play called Elvis People at Mill Mountain Theatre. The play was an ingenious collection of vignettes about the lives of the fans of Elvis Presley. The featured and final vignette was the story of an average Joe who fell into Elvis impersonating and began working at local used car lots for free. He eventually found his way onto cruise ships and ultimately to the world capital of Elvis impersonators, Las Vegas, where finally the “Peter Principle” kicked in. He had ascended to the level of his incompetence. Humbled and humiliated in a sudden death “Elvis off” with a show business giant, he shuffled home to his now-broken marriage and his previous job, older but wiser.

While I was directing, I got a call from a friend and colleague of mine in English at Clemson who, during the course of our conversation, wondered how his department was going to find someone to serve as interim chair when no one was interested. Almost without thinking, I told him I would do it. Long story short, I returned to work at Clemson for what became nearly six more years of administration including a three-year stint as dean of Architecture, Arts and Humanities followed by a stint as interim director of the Emeritus College. I went from gig work in theatre to gig work in academic administration. Having rejoined the SC Retirement System, I retired again which brings me back to today’s occasion! After two decades of operation, the Emeritus College has grown fully into its position as one of the now eleven colleges of Clemson University.

The Clemson Faculty Constitution states in its Preamble, “To fulfill its role of preserving, interpreting, and advancing knowledge, a university depends upon the scholarship and professionalism of its Faculty.” The Constitution further defines the membership of Clemson’s faculty as consisting of, “the President; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost; other administrators with faculty rank; faculty with regular appointments as Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor; Librarians; Emeritus Faculty; and such other individuals as the faculty may duly elect.”

The Emeritus College, by measure of its 867 faculty members, 61% of whom live within a 40-minute drive, is the largest college at Clemson. It is both extraordinary and powerfully influential that so many retired faculty choose to live so close to Clemson for their retirement years. We live in one of the most desirable places in our country. We enjoy a mild and yet varied climate, proximity to such natural wonders as the Blue Ridge Escarpment, also known as The Blue Wall, and an extraordinary system of lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. We are home to world class arts and sports in venues normally located in heavily urban settings. We support a food culture that rivals the best anywhere. Although our rapidly growing population adds pressure to it, our cost of living is still considered a bargain. We now consistently top multiple “The Best of…” lists for retirement living. But it is Clemson University’s cultivation of the affection and continuing engagement of its retired faculty that nourishes our branch of “the Clemson Family.”

But “Family” has taken on a new meaning in the post-pandemic world. The Emeritus College has grown its reach and accessibility by adopting both virtual and hybrid, streaming and recorded programming and by conducting its officer and business meetings in a hybrid format. The College now regularly engages members from across the country for both business and programming.

One year prior to the origin of Clemson’s Emeritus College, the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education was founded in 2002. Twenty-one years later, AROHE, as it is known, champions Clemson as a model for engaged retirement and institutional effectiveness among its 130 institutional members. Of that number, only four institutions have designated their retirement organizations as colleges. Because Clemson made that defining choice, we hold an enviable position as the Nation’s premier academic retirement organization.

No celebration of the EC’s twenty years of existence would be complete without crediting its founding visionaries of Provost Dori Helms, President Jim Barker, University Historian Jerry Reel and Founding Director, Diane Smathers. Their choice to create a college of retired faculty imbued the EC with legitimacy and agency that has inspired the organization to reach ever higher standards of excellence and accomplishment. Members are proud to tout their college affiliation knowing that it provides a permanent home for their continuing growth and development as faculty and life-long learners.

The Emeritus College is fortunate to have been guided by a series of highly effective directors, beginning with its founding director, Dr. Diane Smathers. For the first ten years, Diane grew the EC identity and brand as an exemplary organization. She joined AROHE and promoted the involvement of individual Clemson Emeriti. She patiently taught the University how to fulfill the status of emeriti as full faculty invested by the Faculty Constitution, by pursuing their rightful access to all University privileges such as parking, ID cards, library access, information technology resources, Fike privileges and so forth. She created the EC Advisory Board, guided the creation of our by-laws, and all the while projected professionalism, legitimacy and gravitas to Clemson and the higher education industry. Dr. Smathers is here with us today.

Dr. Dwaine Eubanks, the second permanent director, built on Diane’s foundation of organizational health to take the EC to the next level by relocating the EC offices, promoting strategic planning, expanding programming, hiring a full-time program coordinator, creating more recognitions for Emeritus faculty achievement, and instituting a program of Emeritus Faculty Fellows. Following Dwaine’s untimely death in 2018, the Fellows program was named in his honor. His widow, Lucy Eubanks is here today.

The third and current director, Dr. Debbie Jackson, is serving in her fifth year as a dynamic leader who has guided the Emeritus College through the pandemic years implementing streaming and hybrid programing and greatly expanding the on-line reach and reputation of the College. She has continued to promote service opportunities and has nurtured a culture of inclusion and diversity by expanding membership and leadership opportunities. Recently, she facilitated a continuing partnership between the Emeritus College and the Class of ’39, Clemson’s only perpetual class, consisting, in part, of the annual faculty recipients of the Class of ’39 Award for Excellence.

In 2018, under Debbie’s leadership, two Clemson Emeritus College language programs for international graduate students, the Clemson English-Speaking Proficiency (CESP) test and its follow up, the Conversations with International Students (CIS) program, were selected for a national award! Working together, those programs significantly enhance participating students’ English language skills and cultural awareness. The pair of programs received the AROHE National Innovation Award for benefiting students, improving instruction, and enhancing campus diversity.

It’s truly a campus-wide initiative involving emeriti CESP interviewers, emeriti CIS mentors, student participants, graduate coordinators, student-service coordinators, active faculty, department chairs, college, and university administrators. Also contributing are faculty and staff from the Pearce Center, Graduate School, and Office of Global Engagement. The programs are now institutionalized as continuing programs.

Throughout the twenty-year history of the EC, support from the Office of the Provost has been an indispensable anchor of stability and resources. I want to recognize Provost Bob Jones and Associate Provost Amy Lawton-Rauh and thank them for their unwavering enthusiasm for the Emeritus College and the value that it provides for Clemson’s mission, vision, and strategic goals.

As a part of its 20th anniversary celebration, the Emeritus College has joined with the Clemson University Press to publish Moments and Memories: Reflections of Emeritus College Faculty, a collection of essays surrounding the Clemson experiences of its retired faculty. Guided by four editors, Victoria Gillis, Debbie Jackson, Kathy Headley and Marty Duckenfield, the collection of eighty essays covers over sixty years of Clemson University history. You are receiving a copy today. In the book’s Foreword, Provost Jones writes, “The rich tapestry of faculty experiences in this book reveals humility and dedication to the land-grant mission and our institution. They make me proud to be a Clemson Tiger.”

At the January meeting of the EC Advisory Council, a discussion of undertaking a self-study and review of the College’s strategic plan for the purpose of framing a vibrant path into the future was held. The College’s mission and vision statements have been effective touchstones, but could we articulate our core values as a companion and a powerful engine for continuing advancement and effectiveness? A volunteer group of Emeriti began meeting every two weeks to draft and review such a document. The resulting one-page statement, approved last week by the Advisory Council, is before you in your packet.

Our meetings and discussions have been rich, animated, thought-provoking, and productive. We examined the University’s and Board of Trustees’ statements of guiding principles and values. We collected similar statements from other universities that we considered to be comparable. We debated the political hazards of our time and how much, or even whether, they should be taken into account. Ultimately, we fashioned a short and defining set of aspirations that we believe will inspire us to be at the forefront of the Clemson Elevate planning effort. The next step is to revise our strategic plan in accordance with these values.

Chief among our values is that of belonging. As I mentioned earlier, the phrase, “the Clemson Family” has been used for years to describe that certain, almost indefinable something that draws people to Clemson and holds them. Can a 30,000-person institution truly remain a family? Key to our belief that it’s possible is the notion that a feeling of belonging, born of the caring, respect and trust that Emeriti find in their college, can be modeled throughout Clemson’s campus culture. Maybe our college of senior citizen, life-long educators can lead the way! The members of the Emeritus College are proudly embarking on that path. Thank you for your kind attention today and GO TIGERS.

April 25, 2023 Emeritus Day Luncheon

2023 Class of I. Dwaine Eubanks Emeritus College Fellows

Joel Greenstein

In service to the Emeritus College, Greenstein has served as a member of the Emeritus College Advisory Committee as well as its chair from 2020 to 2021. During his time in this position, he made it his mission to fully fund the Kenelly/Voss Endowment at the $25,000 mark. The endowment was initiated in 2008 and for many years other funds were used to make the contributions awarded in the recipient’s name. Greenstein currently serves as the liaison from the Emeritus College to AROHE. He took over from Lucy Eubanks, who recommended Joel for this important position. Greenstein won the Paul M. Fitts Education Award in 2020 from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. In his nomination letter one student wrote: “Dr. Joel Greenstein has received Clemson University’s Industrial Engineering Professor of the Year so many times that the honor has picked up a colloquial nickname of the ‘Joel Greenstein Award ’”.

Imtiaz Haque

In service to the Emeritus College, Haque has led numerous bird walk programs for the Emeritus faculty. He has co-developed a non-credit course on birding and wildlife photography. Haque also encouraged and planned the Emeritus College’s first, of what the College hopes to be many, overnight adventures in Charleston, S.C. He has provided numerous photographs to the Emeritus College to publish as notecards for Emeritus College faculty. Haque was the founding chair of the Automotive Engineering Department and instrumental in the development of CU-ICAR.

Laura Shick

In service to the Emeritus College, Schick is a member of the Prison Interest Group. Her approach is to help by doing, not just asking. Shick reaches out to see what the next steps are. In doing so, she was part of the original task force that developed the first symposium that brought colleges and universities together from across the state to explore how we might serve incarcerated individuals. Shick was also a major contributor to the Memories and Moments: Reflections of Emeritus College Faculty.

Sam Wang

Wang serves on the Program and Planning Committee. He was instrumental in re-conceptualizing the space used by the Emeritus College for special interest groups. Wang also leads a special interest group on photography. He was also instrumental in the publication Memories and Moments: Reflections of Emeritus College Faculty. Without Wang, half of the images would not have met the requirements for the publication. In service to Clemson University, Wang continues to mentor graduate students by serving on masters and doctoral committees.

Steve Wainscott

Stephen Wainscott In service to the Emeritus College, Wainscott currently serves as a member of the Emeritus College Advisory Board. He also chairs the Program and Planning Committee. In that role he has developed several new initiatives including a virtual travel program. In this program, faculty, current and emeritus share their experiences and travel with recommendations for special “not to miss” sites, itineraries that work and even hotel and food ideas. Wainscott’s enthusiasm for future programs helps keep the Emeritus College current and interesting for its members.

2023 Kenelly-Voss Distinguished Emeritus Award Announced

Dr. Debbie Jackson, Director of the Emeritus College was selected as this year’s recipient.  Dr. Robert Hogan, Chair of the Emeritus College’s Awards Committee made the announcement at the college’s annual Emeritus Day. This award was established by the late John Kenelly to recognize emeritus faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to Emeritus College, Clemson University, the greater Clemson community and to society. 

Debra Jackson contributions include serving as the Emeritus College Director since January of 2019. During her tenure programming has increased by more than 60 percent. During COVID, Jackson switched programming to virtual sessions. Today, programs continue in a hybrid format, allowing Emeritus College members to participate remotely. Under her leadership, donations continue to increase, and new programs continue to be added to the long list of Emeritus College offerings. Jackson and her husband Vince have established “The Debbie and Vince Jackson Endowment for Music” allowing the Emeritus College to expand and support musical events. Jackson’s contributions to the Clemson Community include serving as a board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson, Jackson’s contributions to the Clemson Community include serving as a board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson and as the chair for the Grants and Awards committee. For 25 years, Jackson authored a health column in a local newspaper. She continues to serve as a strong advocate for mental health care. At the national level, Jackson served on advisory committees for the American Cancer Society and NIH Digestive Disease Coalitions.

Release of Moments and Memories: Reflections of Emeritus College Faculty published by the Emeritus College for its 20th Anniversary.

On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, the Emeritus College celebrated its 20th Anniversary.  The college released its new Memories and Moments:  Reflections of Emeritus College Faculty book, essays written by 80 emeritus faculty about their experiences at Clemson University.  The front cover was designed by Donna Reiss, Professor Emerita of English, while the back photograph was contributed by Sam Wang, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Visual Arts.  Vicki Gillis, Debbie Jackson, Kathy Headley and Marty Duckenfield served as the editors for the project. A special thank you to the faculty who contributed to Moments and Memories.  A plan for volume two is underway, so if you have an idea for a story, look for an opportunity to include your essay.

Donna Reiss, Professor Emerita of English. was the creative artist for the cover of the Moments and Memories book. With Donna on April 25th was Mary Haque, Emerita Professor of Horticulture.


Holley Ulbrich’s Latest Book

Holley Ulbrich, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita of Economics,   draws on her experience as a teacher, policy analyst, and community leader  (especially in the League of Women Voters at the state and local levels) and degrees in economics and theology in her most recent book, Passionately Moderate: Civic Virtues and Democracy. Available on Amazon Kindle Store in either paperback or digital format.  Dr. Ulbrich’s publication is another example of the productivity and success of our emeritus faculty.

Emeritus College Trip to Charleston a Great Success

From the Pitt Street Bridge, Charleston, SC  photo taken by Imtiaz Haque

The reviews are in, and it seems everyone really enjoyed the trip to Charleston for birding, viewing the wind turbine test facility, and visiting the Hunley submarine restoration. Oh yeah, we ate some great seafood, and engaged in some spirited shopping for antiques, art and souvenirs as well. The weather was near perfect, not many insects to bother us and the hotel and local people we met were very friendly.

One of the favorite locations we visited was the Awendaw Avian Conservation Center where we saw hawks and owls, some free flying and landing just above our heads. Pretty cool. Some folks said their favorite bird was the Burrowing Owl that ran in and out of the nesting mound created for her. The birds were close enough for us to touch and folks got some beautiful photos. A special thank you to Michael Drews for arranging this wonderful trip to the Avian Conservation Center.

Art  Young and Donna Reiss at the Avian Conservation Center, Awandaw, SC
Art Young and Donna Reiss at the Avian Conservation Center, Awandaw, SC
Avian Conservation Center, Emeritus Faculty

Imatiaz Haque arranged a great tour of Clemson in Charleston which includes the Dominion Energy Innovation Center (home of the wind turbine drive train testing and e-grid), the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center, and the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.  

The research conducted related to wind energy and the electrical grid is phenomenal.  The size and scope of the machinery is impressive.  The construction of the facility to house the drive train was amazing.  The Hunley submarine restoration is nearing completion with a fantastic museum and observation area displaying this amazing historical artifact at the conservation center.   

Tour of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center n North Charleston.

We even had an off-the-grid tour of the lab area where restoration occurs and saw a 4,000-year-old Roman iron ingot recovered from the Mediterranean Sea. 

British Medallion artifact found in Charleston.
British Medallion artifact found in Charleston being restored.

The graduate education building was beautiful and we were able to talk with faculty in the Digital Production Art and see their labs and work.  Graduate students in DPA and electrical and computer engineering have opportunities in Charleston that are not available anywhere but there.  A special thank you to our guides as well:  AJ Powell, Campus and Event Manager;  Meredyth Crichton, Executive Director of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center; Jim Tuten, Capital Projects and Facilities; Eric Patterson, Associate Professor and Director of DPA; and Stéphanie Cretté Director of the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.

Zucker Family Graduate Education Center

Many thanks to Debbie, Imtiaz and Mike for the great adventure. If you have ideas for future trips please let Debbie know.

2021 – 2022 Emeritus College Donor Honor Roll

The Emeritus College would like to thank the following individuals for their generous donations to the Emeritus College for 2021-2022. These donations provide undergraduate scholarships, Kennelly-Voss Endowed Emeritus Fund, the Debbie and Vince Jackson Endowment for Music, and Emeritus College programming initiatives!

Clementina Adams

Paul Adams

John Bednar

Adolph and Anne Beyerlein

Dave  and Priscilla Bodde

Joan and Michael Bridgwood

Farrell and Ann Brown

Harold and Arlene Cheatham

Donald L. Collins

Garnet  and Mary Craddock

Janet Craig

Michael  and Laurie Crino

Page and Di Crouch

Joe  Culin and Dana Anderson

Kim Dawson

Michael Drews

Chip and Diane Egan

Skip  and Ingrid Eisiminger

Ralph  and Linda Elliott

Michael S. Ellison

Lucy Eubanks

Jim and Mary Fanning

Terry Farris

Larry and Linda Gahan

Robert and Jan Geist

Victoria G. Gillis

Robert  and Martha Green

Joel Greenstein

Nicci Hanewald

Mary and Imtiaz Haque

Herlie  and Shena Hendrix

Susan Hilligoss

Bonnie Holaday

Robert  and Heli Horton

Verne W.  and Nancy House

Gordon Howard

Joan  and Mark Hudson

Robbie and Kevin Hughes

Almeda and Putt Jacks

Debbie and Vince Jackson

Gail Julian

Jack  and Christa Kanet

Yuji and Toshiko Kishimoto

Richard Klein

Patricia Knowles

Michael Kohl

Jane McLamarrah

Larry and Mary LaForge

Barb Lewis

Rose Lowe

Joseph (Dick) Manson

Jennifer McCalmont

Rob Roy McGregor

Donald and Janna McKale

John and Erika Meriwether

John  and Suzanne Morse

Rameth R. Owens

James and Kate Palmer

Wayne  and Cheryl Patterson

Gary and Connie Powell

Chris and Donna Przirembel

Virgil and Judy Quisenberry

Dan and Barbara Rash

Greg and Angela Reighard

Elaine and Roy Richardson

Coke and Tina Robbins

Charles B . and Ann Russell

David J and Ronda Senn

Thomas E. Skelton

Webb and Diane Smathers

Forrest Stegelin

Dolores Stegelin

Roy Stoddard

Bill and Sharon Stringer

Kinly and Kathy Sturkie

Karyna Szmurlo

Dennis Taylor

Ronald and Christine Thurston

Jerry and Sally Trapnell

Joe Turner

Amy Vogelgesang

John and Patricia Wagner

Sam and Xin Wang

Charles and Judith) White

Wes Williams and Sara Doornbos

Robert and Eva Williamson

Bruce and Dot Yandle

Art Young

Donna Reiss

Paul B. and Monica Zielinski

2022 Emeritus College Research and Scholarship Recipient: Donald L. Collins

Professor Emeritus of Planning and Landscape Architecture

Donald L. Collins, Emeritus Professor in Planning and Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities was selected as the 2022 Emeritus College Research and Scholarship Award recipient.  The award was established by the Emeritus College to recognize emeritus faculty members who continue to produce extraordinary research and scholarship, either in their discipline or in a new field.

Don retired in 2005, but that has not kept him from contributing to his field in unique ways.  He has carved out an applied research niche advising architects and fire departments on the design of fire stations.

Don is from a family of professional firefighters so when the invitation was extended early in his academic career, it was natural for him to become a member of the Clemson University Fire Department. When traveling on university business he would often stay at fire stations.  The discussions that would ensue during these stayovers frequently lead to insights about fire station design that he applies in his present-day design advisory role.

Since his retirement, he has participated in 21 fire station related projects ranging from assessment studies to schematic designs and construction documents.  Fifteen new fire stations in the US and Canada have been placed online with his input.

Fire station designs that Don has encouraged embody elements that are unique to the requirements of each site, space needs program and fire department. Don has successfully advocated for training rooms that double as community meeting rooms for stations in Clemson, SC, Santa Monica, CA and Ankeny, IA. He has also been an advocate for fire stations that address firefighter welfare issues of physical and mental health and occupational safety at the station.  One such example of this is his insistence that all Fitness Rooms be placed in a high-traffic area with plenty of opportunity to see into the room because there have been firefighter deaths resulting from solo physical fitness workouts in an isolated fitness area.

Seven of the 15 fire station designs in which Don was engaged have won design awards.  These include state AIA, Firehouse Magazine, and the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization’s Fire Facilities Design Awards Program.  Don’s Brandon, Manitoba fire station, designed in conjunction with George Cibinel of Cibinel Architects, Ltd. has been ranked by one writer as among the world’s greatest fire stations.

The Emeritus College congratulates Don Collin on being the 2022 Emeritus College Research and Scholarship Award.