The Division of Student Affairs recently unveiled a new Student Code of Conduct, effective immediately. The revised code is the result of a three-year process that outlines a new procedure for adjudication of issues involving suspension or expulsion.
“We believe this updated document serves students in a manner that is consistent with Clemson University’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect,” said Beverly McAdams, interim associate dean of students and director of the Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES).
Many faculty and staff members serve as advisers to organizations and as mentors to students and familiarity with the updated Code of Conduct is beneficial to that relationship.
Any questions related to the document should be directed to OCES, located on the ninth floor of Edgar A. Brown University Union. OCES can be reached by phone at 864-656-0510.
More than 1,300 students will receive Clemson University degrees in two graduation ceremonies on Thursday, Dec. 19. They are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum. In addition, Ph.D. candidates will participate in a doctoral hooding ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts.
Magnetometers will be present at all gates to Littlejohn Coliseum and the university’s clear bag policy will be in effect for both graduation ceremonies. Guest services, stroller/walker check-in and first aid will be located in Burton Gallery, the south entrance to the coliseum.
Graduates will be grouped into one of two ceremonies through the various academic colleges as follows:
9:30 a.m.
Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
Education
Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
1:30 p.m.
Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
Architecture, Arts and Humanities
Business
Science
PARKING/TRAFFIC Visitor parking will be available in commuter lots around the coliseum, including C-3 and R-3 adjacent to Perimeter Road (Silas Pearman Boulevard). Parking is for graduation staff is reserved along the Avenue of Champions and across from the Tiger statue near the east gate in the C-9 lot on Centennial Boulevard.
Due to the installation of underground utilities on Perimeter Road between the C-1 parking lot and Cherry Road, attendees should use Walter T. Cox Boulevard (Highway 93) to come to graduation. Visit the university’s interactive facilities map for all construction impacts during graduation.
FACULTY Swann Pavilion is accessible to graduates and working staff only. Attending faculty are invited to enter the VIP entrance to Littlejohn at the southeast corner and follow directions to the Coliseum Club for processional and seating.
WORKING STAFF Staff members assigned to work at graduation will enter from the loading dock along the Avenue of Champions. Magnetometers will be present at the loading dock as well. Check-in is inside the loading dock, where staff will receive a wristband to access areas inside the venue.
The Clemson Libraries recently secured a grant from Clemson’s Information Technology Student Advisory Board (ITSAB) to support an open-source online homework system called WeBWork.
Many instructors in lower-division math, science, engineering and business classes that are heavy in mathematical calculations, use online homework platforms that collect and grade student assignments. Unlike traditional written homework that is graded and returned to students a week later, these platforms give them instant feedback on whether their answers are right or wrong. This helps students identify their mistakes, strengths and weaknesses, which can greatly improve their learning.
But commercial systems can be very expensive, costing as much as $100 per student per course. Produced by large publishers, their questions are tied to expensive publisher textbooks, which often do not fully meet the needs of instructors and forbid them from selecting other textbooks, some of which are free for students to use.
Michael Burr (left), Matt Macauley and Matt Saltzman, professors in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, are using open source WeBWork in their courses.
Matt Saltzman, Matt Macauley and Michael Burr, professors in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, began searching for a solution. They discovered WeBWork, an open source system which was originally developed for a physics course at the University of Rochester and has since been upgraded with many grants, including some from the Mathematical Association of America.
Saltzman installed WeBWork on a server provided by the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences’ Information Technology Services, and Macauley and Burr use it to teach their fall 2019 courses.
WeBWork is free for both faculty and students and can be used in any lower-division STEM and business courses that require students to do homework involving mathematical calculations. “It can provide homework for students in dozens of classes simultaneously,” Salzman said.
“The system also has many advantages over commercial platforms,” according to Burr. “WeBWork is built using a more robust programming language and has more flexibility in generating questions. It also collects data beyond student grades, such as the number of attempts per question, which can be used by instructors to better analyze student performance, determine areas where a student is struggling and assist them.”
The professors hope to use WeBWork again next semester if the current trial of the server is successful. However, there are still a few challenges. Though there are new commercial services that host WeBWork for a fee, Saltzman, Macauley and Burr are hosting it locally to keep costs low. For now, Saltzman is serving as a volunteer administrator, but scaling up and developing a long-term sustainable approach to hosting and maintaining the system will require support from IT staff or students.
Yang Wu, the open resources librarian at Clemson Libraries, worked to find financial assistance to get the project started during the summer of 2019 by contacting Undergraduate Student Government for help.
Reducing the cost of learning materials is a major priority for Logan Young, Undergraduate Student Body president, who worked to secure the grant from the IT Student Advisory Board, a governance group that manages 10 percent of student IT fees and uses it to fund initiatives benefitting students.
Zachary Pate, chairman of ITSAB, welcomed the WeBWork project, noting that cash-strapped students often try to finish a course without required materials.
“I’ve heard so many different stories of students who will calculate how well they can do in a class without purchasing certain items,” Pate said.
Clemson Libraries Clemson Libraries is Clemson’s first place for information. Clemson Libraries’ collection boasts 1.2 million print volumes, complemented by over 500,000 eBooks and 82,000+ electronic journal subscriptions. The Libraries’ faculty, staff and student assistants are dedicated to ensuring student success by providing the information resources and services needed to complete assignments, attain degrees and excel in the workplace.
Endowed by the Great Class of 1939, the Clemson University Class of ’39 Award for Excellence is presented annually to one distinguished member of the Clemson faculty whose outstanding contributions to students, the university, and/or the local/national/international community for the past five-year period have been judged by his/her peers to represent the highest achievement of academic excellence. The award recipient becomes an honorary member of the class and earns a monetary award equal to the value of $5,000 in 1989 (approximately $10,500) – the year the Award for Excellence was established. Recipients are recognized at one of the December graduation ceremonies and in a January 14 or February 11 ceremony at the ’39 Bell Tower in the Carillon Gardens.
To be eligible for the award, a faculty member must be an active, tenured faculty member with at least five years of faculty service at Clemson University. Visit the Class of ’39 Award for Excellence page for complete details and a nomination form. Completed materials are due to the Provost’s Office by noon, Friday, October 18, 2019.
Characterized by remarkable service to Clemson University, the community, the state, and the nation, The Great Class of 1939 established the Award for Excellence in 1989 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the class and to recognize and to inspire faculty service above and beyond expectations.
For questions, contact your department chair, dean, or Dr. Chelsea Waugaman, university faculty governance coordinator in the Faculty Senate office (senate@clemson.edu).
With the move to Vickery Hall, testing services are being re-envisioned. Currently, only accommodated testing is supported, but new services are being developed. Stay Tuned!
As we move into the fall semester, the Test Proctoring Center has been relocated to the second floor of Vickery Hall and renamed, the University Testing & Education Center (UTEC).
Along with increasing testing services, you will soon hear about opportunities to reserve study or meeting rooms in the UTEC when these rooms are not being used for testing. This will include individual quiet study carrels, group and conference meeting rooms, and large programming spaces. Renovations will continue through the year, with completion of all work planned for March 2019.
In the meantime, we will continue to support the accommodated testing needs of our students.
Some things to know:
AIM (Accessible Information Management) System. Through Student Accessibility Services (SAS), we are implementing a new management system to support accommodated testing. AIM has some exciting features in the faculty portal, including a list of all students in a class who have accommodations and their specific accommodations, the ability to upload tests directly to the system, and a testing contract that must only be completed once per class. Please contact SAS if you have questions.
Testing Location – All accommodated testing will take place in the UTEC on the second floor of Vickery Hall.
Test Delivery to the UTEC. While tests can still be dropped off at the UTEC during normal business hours, there is a new option for electronically delivery. Tests may still be sent to: ClemsonTPC@clemson.edu or can now be uploaded directly into AIM system when a student schedules a test. The UTEC’s business hours for test drop off/pick up are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Return of Completed Tests – Given the exponential increases in accommodated testing demands (7,000 annually) and a need to focus resources, we will no longer be able to provide delivery services for completed paper tests to instructors across campus.
The following are options for obtaining completed tests:
You may pick the test up in person in the UTEC 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
You may receive a scanned and emailed version of your test. UTEC staff will scan and send email completed tests within one business day following completion.
Completed paper tests will only be released to authorized individuals. You must indicate in the Alternative Testing Contract if another person is authorized to pick up your test, such as a teaching assistant or testing coordinator. Anyone picking up a test must present their Clemson ID.
Faculty are encouraged to use Canvas to develop electronic tests. The UTEC is increasing its capacity for supporting electronic based exams through Canvas with additional computer testing stations.
Academic Integrity Violations. In the event of a suspected academic integrity violation, the video footage of the suspicious activity will be shared with the instructor, along with an Alleged Academic Misconduct Report. The footage will also be shared with Jeff Appling, associate dean of curriculum in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. The instructor will need to follow up with Appling to determine the next steps. Except in cases where it appears the student may be recording information on the test or otherwise sharing it (such as taking photos with a cell phone), the test session will not be interrupted due to the suspicion of a violation. For example, the use of a “cheat sheet” will not be interrupted, but the footage will be submitted to the instructor as mentioned above.
Ellen Granberg today was announced as the next provost at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. She begins her new role in mid-August.
Ellen Granberg
Granberg joined Clemson in 2001 shortly after earning her doctorate in sociology from Vanderbilt University and rose to the position of chair of the department of sociology and anthropology in 2012. She held that position until May of 2015 when she became Clemson’s first associate provost for faculty affairs, later to be promoted to senior associate provost.
“Ellen has done a superb job as a faculty member, department chair and academic administrator, and is most deserving of this outstanding opportunity,” said Clemson Provost Bob Jones. “Throughout her career at Clemson, Ellen has exemplified the very best of the university through her keen intellect, collaborative working style and commitment to continuous improvement.
Added Clemson President Jim Clements: “We’re going to miss Ellen dearly, but RIT is getting a star.”
Granberg earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of California at Davis and spent 11 years working for Pacific Bell in the San Francisco Bay area as a project manager and technical director in software development. In 1995, she left industry to pursue advanced degrees, leading to her Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt.
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity at RIT, but always will be indebted to all my great colleagues at Clemson,” Granberg said. “It has been an honor to have played a small part in helping Clemson grow into one of the nation’s top public universities, and I’ll be eagerly watching for more great work out of my Clemson friends and colleagues in the future.”
RIT is a private university with more than 18,000 students enrolled across nine colleges. Founded in 1829, RIT is one of the nation’s top 100 universities – public or private – as ranked by U.S.News & World Report.
“Dr. Granberg was chosen from a truly outstanding pool of candidates, a testament to RIT’s ability to attract impressive academic talent,” said RIT President David Munson. “Ellen comes to us with the highest recommendations and a sterling reputation as a talented, dependable, committed, collaborative leader. She helped Clemson raise its profile and now she will bring that expertise to RIT and help propel our university into the future.”
President Clements and Provost Jones tapped Granberg to help lead the work related to the creation of ClemsonForward, Clemson’s 10-year strategic plan, which was rolled out in 2016. Since the launch of the plan, Granberg has been instrumental in working with the president and other leaders from across the university to ensure that consistent progress is being made toward the goals outlined in the plan, Jones said.
She also has helped lead Clemson’s efforts to revamp faculty hiring, putting in place new search procedures and an enhanced post-doctoral pipeline program that resulted in increasing the number of underrepresented faculty.
To sustain momentum in academic affairs, a short-term associate provost appointment will be announced later this summer to be followed immediately by an internal search for a permanent successor, Jones said.
Faculty and staff can make a difference in promoting diversity at Clemson. The President’s Commission on the Status of Women is accepting nominations for two staff seats and two faculty seats.
Commission members serve three-year terms and report to President Jim Clements through the Council on Inclusion and Diversity, co-chaired by Chief Diversity Officer Lee Gill and Provost Bob Jones.
Commission meetings take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the last Friday of each month during the fall and spring semesters.
Submit nominations to Linda Tindal by email at ltindal@clemson.edu or by phone 864-656-1532.
The Commission was established to improve the quality of life for women at Clemson. It exists to discern the status of women at Clemson University and document findings; discover and pursue the removal of institutional barriers identified by the Commission; collect information and/or conduct research regarding issues which affect women, including the study of practices followed at other universities’ Commissions on Women; and explore problem areas that limit equal opportunities and advancement.
The factbook contains current and historical data about Clemson University, including information on students and employees. New features include graduation and retention information and historical trend information, as well as filters allowing users to create customized views.
A new software, Tableau, is used to provide improved data visualization.
The interactive factbook was developed through a collaboration among the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, the Office of Institutional Research and the Office of Strategy and Analytics.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please email any comments/suggestions to Juan Xu, director, Office of Institutional Research at jxu2@clemson.edu.
An accomplished leader with 25 years of experience in higher education research and analytics, statistical data analysis and key performance metrics has joined Clemson as the university’s director of Institutional Research (IR).
Juan Xu, Ph.D. will manage the workflow of critical reporting, compliance and accreditation projects, and lead the IR staff to enhance processes, tools and insights to support the university’s mission and ClemsonForward.
“It is a sincere delight to welcome Juan and her family to the Clemson Family,” said Jeremy King, associate provost for institutional effectiveness. “She brings an impressive blend of interpersonal skills, collaborative posture, institutional research experience and a fastidious commitment to student and faculty success that will all be needed to meet the aspirational goals of Clemson Forward for the benefit of our students, their families and the State of South Carolina.”
King said that Xu’s experience as director of student research in the Office of University of Analytics and Institutional Research at the University of Arizona focused on student success, a key element of the ClemsonForward plan. He added that her understanding of the elements of traditional institutional research as well as the value of business intelligence, predictive analytics and data visualization made her a good fit for the position.
Xu also brings international perspective… personally and professionally.
The youngest child of farmers in a rural Chinese village, Xu knew firsthand the rigors of farming life. She watched her parents work very hard just to make ends meet. But farming wasn’t in her blood. Her dream was to go to college and live in a city.
She did just that. The first-generation college student earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Harbin Institute of Technology – a top nine university in China. During that time, she gained a strong interest in higher education while working in the higher education division of the Heilongjiang province’s state department of education.
American higher education, according to Xu, is the best system in the world. With that thought, Xu moved to the United States and earned her Ph.D. in leadership and higher education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
After graduation, Xu worked in institutional research at the State University of New York and became manager and then director of the office of Institutional Analysis at Brock University in Ontario, Canada.
At Clemson, the new Institutional Research director will first focus on getting the lay of the land and connect with colleagues.
“I’m so glad to be here,” said Xu. “I was drawn to Clemson University because of its reputation as an outstanding academic reputation, its stated strong commitment to individual student success and the people I got to know during the search process.”
The South Carolina Legislature’s Joint Bond Review Committee (JBRC) approved plans for a day care center on Clemson’s main campus, according to executive vice president and provost Robert H. Jones.
Jones, who spoke at yesterday’s Faculty Senate meeting said that the committee approval brings the center closer to reality. Clemson’s board of trustees approved the center’s design work in 2015.
“I applaud the positive support from the South Carolina legislative committee and the hard work that so many Clemson faculty, staff and administrators have provided to help make this valuable idea come to fruition,” he said.
Thompson Mefford spent part of yesterday watching the livestreamed legislative session. Mefford, who serves as the faculty representative to the board of trustees, said that in the next step, Clemson officials will present to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority Tuesday. With that group’s approval, the project will enter into the design and engineering phase. Once the design process is complete, the project then goes back for a second round of state reviews.
“Today’s approval marks the state recognition of the importance of this facility,” he said. “This is the product of the hard work of many Clemson team members working with the university’s legislative affairs office in Columbia.”
The 12,700 square-foot facility, to be located near the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Center on the main campus, is expected to cost about $5 million and will be financed with existing funds. Officials said the center will be managed and operated through a third-party vendor and provide a safe, secure, and stimulating learning environment for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years old.
