Inside Clemson

Lanham appointed Provost Distinguished Professor

Pic of Drew LanhamDr. J. Drew Lanham has been appointed as Provost Distinguished Professor, a special designation awarded by the provost to recognize outstanding scholars who are highly productive and build a national reputation for Clemson University.

Lanham is a master teacher and alumni distinguished professor in the department of forestry and environmental conservation. A Clemson alum and faculty member since 1995, Lanham is an internationally-respected conservation ornithologist as well as an active board member of several organizations including the National Audubon Society,  Aldo Leopold Foundation, and BirdNote. He also is the chair of the advisory board for Audubon South Carolina.

“Dr. Lanham is a renowned conservationist and poet and is a great representative of the significant scholarly work at Clemson University,” said Robert H. Jones, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. We are very proud of him and believe that this honor is well deserved.”

Lanham has expanded his scholarship creatively and is a widely published author, poet and speaker, focusing on a passion for wildlife, wild places and the personal and societal conflicts that sometimes put conservation and culture at odds. His award winning book, “The Home Place-Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature,” exemplifies his mission to define environmental sustainability and conservation in new ways by bridging the gaps between advocacy, education, inspiration and conservation. As a Black American, he’s intrigued with how ethnic prisms bend perceptions of nature and its care. He is married to Janice G. Lanham, a Clemson alumna and senior lecturer in the School of Nursing. Their two children, Alexis Shepard and Colby Lanham, are also both Clemson graduates.