Tag: Clemson University

By Jackie Todd, office of Media Relations

The first of three candidates for the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost position spoke to a packed auditorium in Tuesday’s open campus forum. Robert Jones of West Virginia University shared information about his background, experience and strategies and answered questions from faculty, staff and students. For those who were unable to attend in person, the forum was streamed online.

Two other candidates will be on campus to present their qualifications and engage with the Clemson family. Candidate Sheryl Tucker, from Oklahoma State University, is scheduled to appear on July 10 and Gregory Crawford, from the University of Notre Dame, will present on July 15. Each forum will be held in the Lee Hall No. 2 auditorium, Room 2-111, from 9 to 10:15 a.m.

The forums will be streamed online on the finalist page of Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost website. This page requires a log in with your Clemson ID and password. The page will also offer visitors a chance to give feedback on each of the candidates.

University faculty and staff who have questions for the finalists but cannot attend the forums can send their questions before and during the forums to jtodd3@clemson.edu.

Candidates will also participate in a series of informal drop-in meetings. Visit the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost website for drop-in meeting times, candidate bios and other information.

Campus permit holders and visitors can park at more locations across campus. Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) has expanded multi-space meter parking to an additional seven locations. This expansion comes with another way to pay for parking. PATS has partnered with the TigerOne office to allow the use of the TigerOne card to pay for parking at any meter across campus.

Additional metered spaces are located at:

• Fort Hill Street (7 spaces)
• Gentry Hall (10 spaces)
• McGinty Circle (8 spaces)
• Byrnes Hall (12 spaces)
• C-1 commuter lot off of Perimeter Road (31 spaces)
• Bryan Circle (62 spaces)
• Energy Drive (18 spaces)

Many of the spaces that have been converted were previously free 30-minute spaces. Through the partnership with TigerOne, faculty, staff and student drivers will be able to get an hour’s worth of parking for just 50 cents with the use of the Tiger One card payment option.

“There was a high trend in parking violations in those spots – and those were from drivers who remained over the 30-minute limit,” according to PATS director Dan Hofmann. “We want to reduce those violations by giving drivers additional time at the meters. Now, drivers who pay with their Tiger One card at select locations, will still get 30 minutes free parking and they’ll just pay 50 cents for the additional 30 minutes.”

This most recent meter expansion brings the total available metered parking spaces for visitors up to 405 spaces at 21 locations across campus.

Visitors who park and pay the meter at these locations do not require a parking permit. Faculty, staff or students are not considered a “visitor” at any time and are required to purchase a permit.

“This additional meter revenue is helping us to equitably distribute the cost of parking to all users thereby keeping parking permits for faculty, staff, and students as low as possible,” explained Hofmann.

For a map of all metered locations across campus, click here.

Download the Parker app, available for iPhones and Android at the App Store or Google Play, to locate “real-time” available metered parking on campus. Drive directly to an available lot using Parker’s maps or voice-guided directions .

By Joseph B. Ryan, Ph.D.

Each semester I receive a number of phone calls and emails from frantic parents across the U.S. asking for guidance on how to keep their child with physical and/or mental disabilities from being physically abused while in school. While the thought of abusing children with disabilities is reprehensible, the most disturbing aspect of these stories is that the parents are levying charges of abuse against the educators they entrusted the care and safety of their children with, due to the abusive use of seclusion and restraint procedures.

Having specialized in behavior management, I was asked to participate in a U.S. Congressional Briefing in support of the Keeping All Students Safe Act Senate Bill 2036 and HR Bill 1893. The intent of this legislation is to prevent the abusive use of seclusion (locking children in small rooms) and restraint (staff members holding a child to maintain physical control) in public schools. My testimony emphasized three critical points that I believe every educator, parent and legislator should be aware of, including the (1) over use of seclusion and restraint to manage disruptive students, (2) disproportionate use of seclusion and restraint on students with disabilities and minorities, and (3) that many schools have elected to embrace these dangerous non-evidence based procedures in lieu of safer research based practices for managing aggressive students.

While many parents are unaware these interventions even take place within their local schools, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) reported that more than 110,000 students were subjected to restraint and seclusion during the 2011-12 school year over a quarter million times. Aggravating matters, is that these procedures have been used for reasons other than what they were intended (e.g., imminent physical danger).  Instead, many parents, advocates and researchers have argued these highly restrictive interventions are being used in response to a variety of non-violent behaviors including noncompliance and leaving the assigned areas. In some instances, teachers have used these interventions excessively (e.g., 70 – 100 times) with challenging students despite being ineffective in reducing maladaptive behavior.

Another disheartening finding by the OCR is that seclusion and restraint are being disproportionally used with minorities and students with special needs. While children with disabilities represent only 12 percent of the student population, they represented 58 percent of those placed in seclusion, and 75 percent of all children who were physically restrained. Similar disproportional findings were reported among minority students.

Lastly, it simply defies logic that during the current emphasis on implementing evidence-based practices in classrooms, many schools have elected to embrace seclusion and restraint while ignoring safer research based practices for managing aggressive behaviors. There are a number of effective less restrictive alternatives, including: (a) Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports, (b) functional behavioral assessments, (c) crisis de-escalation strategies, and (d) curriculum based interventions designed to address many of the social and communication skill deficits exhibited by children with disabilities. Passage of the Keeping All Students Safe Act will help protect all students, especially children with disabilities and minorities, who are among the most vulnerable and at-risk students within our nation’s schools.

Full information for each Bill can be found at:

• http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2036
• http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1893

Joe Ryan is a Professor of Special Education and serves as the associate director of research for the Eugene T. Moore School of Education. He is also the Editor of the journal Beyond Behavior. He has taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) from grades K through 12 across a variety of educational settings, including resource and self-contained classrooms, special day schools, and a residential treatment center. Professional interests include: Single Case Research, Behavior Management, Psychotropic Medications, Therapeutic Recreation, and Post Secondary Transition Services. Ryan has more than 50 publications, and frequently consults and speaks at national and international professional conferences. He has been interviewed and quoted by Anderson Cooper, CNN, Headline News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other leading periodicals. He is the founder of ClemsonLIFE (Learning is for Everyone), a post secondary transition program for students with cognitive disabilities, as well as several adapative sports programs including: baseball (spring), soccer (fall) and equine therapy (year round).

Clemson University fees for tuition, housing and meal plans will increase by an average of less than 3 percent this fall, which will partially offset mandatory payroll, retirement and health insurance cost increases. The fees were approved by the university’s board of trustees today (June 25).

“The combination of additional state funding and ongoing efforts by the administration to operate as efficiently as possible has allowed us to minimize the impact of these mandatory cost increases on tuition,” said board chairman David Wilkins.

In-state students will see an increase of 2.6 percent for general tuition – or $171 per semester — and pay a $25 per semester charge dedicated to facilities maintenance and renovations – bringing the total increase to 3 percent. Non-state residents will pay 2.8 percent more for general tuition – or $432 per semester — and a facilities fee of $55 per semester, for a total increase of 3.19 percent.

Graduate tuition will increase 1 percent.

The fee increases – plus anticipated enrollment growth — will generate approximately $11 million, which will help cover anticipated cost increases of $15 million from a state-mandated pay raise for faculty and staff, increased employee retirement expenses, and increased health insurance costs mandated by the federal Affordable Care Act.

In addition to partial funding for the mandatory pay raise, the state budget provided $1.2 million for programs to increase four-year graduation rates and provide paid, on-campus internships, programs which university President Jim Clements said will help hold down the cost of education in the long run and increase the value of a Clemson education.

“We appreciate the state’s targeted investment in these two programs that will help students be more successful in the classroom and in the job market,” he said. “One of the best ways to hold down college costs is to get through in four years – and one of the best ways to land a job after graduation is an internship that provides relevant, marketable job skills.”

Student housing and meal plans will increase by an average of 2.3 percent, which will cover rising food and energy costs, insurance and retirement costs, facilities renovations and a 2 percent cost-of-living pay increase for staff mandated by the state.

Actual costs vary depending on housing assignments and dining plan selection. On average, the fee increase will add $47 per semester for housing and $50 per semester for dining plans.

Clemson University has named finalists for the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost position. Beginning the week of July 7, the finalists will appear in open campus forums and a series of informal drop-in meetings for faculty, staff and students.

Open forum information

Finalists and their open forum dates are:

• Robert Jones, Ph.D., dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, July 8
• Sheryl Tucker, Ph.D., dean of the graduate college and interim vice president for research and technology transfer, Oklahoma State University, July 10
• Gregory Crawford, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science, University of Notre Dame, July 15

Each forum will be held in the Lee Hall No. 2 auditorium, Room 2-111, from 9 to 10:15 a.m.

The forums will be streamed online here for those who cannot attend in person. University faculty and staff who have questions for the finalists but cannot attend the forums can send their questions before and during the forums to jtodd3@clemson.edu.

Drop-in meeting information
Drop-in meetings have also been scheduled for each of the candidates. These smaller-scale gatherings allow interested faculty, staff and students to meet and talk with the finalists in an informal setting.  These events will not be live streamed or videotaped.

The drop-in meeting schedule is as follows:

Dr. Robert Jones

Tues., July 8 from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Life Sciences Bldg., Room 242
Meeting with all interested faculty, staff and students

Wed., July 9 from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Academic Success Center, Room 118
Meeting with all interested staff

Wed., July 9 from 10 to 11 a.m. Academic Success Center, Room 118
Meeting with all interested faculty

Wed., July 9 from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Student Senate Chambers
Meeting with all interested students (undergrad and grad)

Dr. Sheryl Tucker

Thursday, July 10 from 1:45 to 3 p.m. Academic Success Center, Room 118
Meeting with all interested faculty, staff and students

Fri., July 11 from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Life Sciences Bldg., Room 242
Meeting with all interested staff

Fri., July 11 from 10 to 11 a.m. Student Senate Chambers
Meeting with all interested students (undergrad and grad)

Fri., July 11 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Student Senate Chambers
Meeting with all interested faculty

Dr. Gregory Crawford

Tues., July 15 from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.  Student Senate Chambers
Meeting with all interested faculty, staff and students

Wed., July 16 from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Academic Success Center, Room 118
Meeting with all interested faculty

Wed., July 16 from 11:15 a.m. to noon Academic Success Center, Room 118
Meeting with all interested staff

Wed., July 16 from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Student Senate Chambers
Meeting with all interested students (undergrad and grad)

Finalist information, application materials and forum videos will be posted on the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Search Web page.

In April, Clemson University launched a national search for the provost position that was elevated by President Jim Clements to an executive vice presidency – the No. 2 spot at the university. Using traditional, online and social media channels, the position has attracted roughly 400 nominations and contacts. More than half of these have come through nominations from the search website courtesy of the university’s faculty, staff, alumni, community members and their friends and colleagues across the country.

Clemson University’s Municipal Court has changed its office hours. The new hours are 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For questions, stop by the Municipal Court at G01-C Edgar Brown Union, or contact Nancy Belanger or Christy Richey at 864-656-5258.

Clemson University’s Undergraduate Curriculum committee chaired by Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Jan Murdoch, voted in May to remove ePortfolio as a graduation requirement effective summer 2014.

“This means students who plan to graduate in August 2014 and beyond are not required to submit any artifacts related to ePortfolio as a University requirement for graduation,”  explained Interim Provost Nadim Aziz. “Students wishing to make substitutions for general education courses are still required to submit evidence of attainment of the competency with the substitution request form.”

The ePortfolio program was implemented in 2006 by Clemson University to assess student evidence for the general education competencies throughout the undergraduate experience.

“I wish to thank Dean Murdoch and Dr. Gail Ring, Director of the ePortfolio Program and the rest of the team for working diligently during the past several years to implement this program in the best interest of the university,” said Aziz.  “Their work and the work that the undergraduate students put into this program was instrumental to successfully meet SACSCOC requirements for university accreditation that was successfully concluded in 2013.  So again, a big thank you to all who contributed to this endeavor.”

Work has already started to engage the faculty and others to develop the processes necessary to collect the required information for assessment purposes.

By De Anne Anthony, Class of 2014 and Savannah Mozingo, Class of 2015

There was no better way to introduce Clemson’s 15th president to his new home than with the warm welcome he received from various student organizations during his tour of the campus on Sunday, Jan. 13. Undergraduate Student Body President Kayley Seawright organized a walk that included some of the university’s most significant landmarks to engage Clements in the rich history, school spirit and sense of family that brings together Clemson faculty, staff and students.

From listening to groups like Scabbard and Blade expound upon Clemson’s rich military heritage to running down the hill through a tunnel of cheers and shimmying orange and purple pompoms, Clements seamlessly shifted between his role as both a sharp leader and an exuberant family member filled with Tiger pride.

Graciously
At every stop during his tour, Clements greeted each individual with a handshake and an attentive ear as he heard each group offer their excitement and concern for the growth of the university. After every question and answer period, he thanked everyone with a handshake and posed for photographs.

Looking to the Future
While viewing the Greek quad and walking to Fike Recreation Center, Clements spoke with Seawright and Student Senate President Drew Casella about key issues facing campus. At Fike, Clements was greeted by the intramural and club sports organizations. All-American flag football player Christian Bright spoke with the president about the condition of the intramural fields and the desire to have more space and safety features.

Learning from the past
Clements shared the company of former Clemson ROTC instructors, Col. Lance B. Young, Col. Ed DeJulio and Col. Sandy Edge as he walked through the Scroll of Honor Memorial. The three colonels shared various details of the university’s ROTC program and the achievements of the proud young men and women who dedicated themselves not only to the school, but also their country. During his tour of the Woodland Cemetery, Clements learned about the rich history of this resting place from guide Trent Allen, author of Clemson – There’s Something in These Hills, which details the unique history of Clemson University.

Appreciating the present
After his campus tour, Clements relaxed and enjoyed refreshments in the Carillon Gardens with the members of CLEMSONLiVE. When asked for his advice for students who wanted to enter higher education, he responded, “Well, you have to want to make a difference in people’s lives, and care about the impact you will make within students lives and an institution.” He looked around the gardens seeing the interaction between all the students that participated in his welcome tour. “And speaking of impact, I’ve been in higher education for 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like what I experienced today.”

View photos of the president’s tour.

See the What’s Happening at Clemson video that features the president’s tour.