Tag: mechanical engineering

Portia Mitchum, Student Services Adviser, Department of Mechanical Engineering

“As a leader in the student services office, she has created an environment where students feel welcome. Portia’s ability to connect with students personally and her deep understanding of the ME program and the students’ needs has made her an invaluable asset. Portia has exceptional dedication, creativity, and genuinely cares for the students. She is a resource to other advisors who do not the experience that she does. We are lucky to have such a smart, witty, team player as part of the Mechanical Engineering department.” – Anonymous

• Marieke Van Puyembroeck, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Health and Well-being
• Jenny Presgraves, Director of Professional Development and Well-Being
• Misty Stewart, Director of Graduate Student Success
• Cairen Withington, Director of Program Review and Effectiveness
• Kelsey Loftus, Business Analyst
• Bob Freeman, Graduate Standards Coordinator
• Jessica Zagorski, Director of Admissions
• Rebecca Towe, Administrative Coordinator
• Taylor Marin Matthews-Naylor, Domestic Admissions Coordinator

“This group volunteered to be on the Graduate School’s Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ hosting team, and they produced a conference so great we are still getting congratulatory emails from attendees!” – John Lopes, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Want to shout-out a colleague for their great work? Fill out our short nomination form!

[vid origin=”clemsontv” vid_id=”NeIYRUhmLkahN-4paMnSeQ” size=”medium” align=”left”]

Richard Figliola, Ph.D., a faculty member in Clemson’s department of mechanical engineering was recognized with the university’s Centennial Professorship award. The Centennial Professorship is awarded to faculty displaying excellence in teaching, applied, basic research or scholarship and in service or extension efforts. The professorship is supported by an endowment from Clemson’s faculty and their friends as well as a matching grant from the Commission on Higher Education, which results in an award of $24,000.

The 34-year Clemson veteran is a master teacher at the undergraduate level having taught 24 course sections in the past five years and holds the distinction of having taught most of the courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum. His teaching evaluation is one of the highest in the department.

As an author, professor, researcher and mechanical engineering innovator, Figliola has excelled in his academic and research career. From encouraging the development of Clemson’s CU-ICAR to serving as a NATO Fellow at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics and prestigiously composing a Test Uncertainty Standard — the standard measurement to improve design outcomes, Figliola is a world-renowned engineer and scientist, whose service to the university and the scientific community is unparalleled.

His department chair notes,“Dr. Figliola is fair, open, and liked by all students, faculty and staff alike in the department. He is a master teacher, researcher, administrator and consummate Clemson faculty member. I cannot think of any other faculty member that I know of at Clemson that deserves this award more than Dr. Figliola.”