President James P. Clements' Blog

Dear Clemson Family:

Happy New Year!

Our students have begun moving back to campus and we’re excited about the beginning of the spring semester, which starts tomorrow. As I shared previously, we plan to offer more in-person classroom opportunities this semester, while still keeping our focus squarely on providing a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff.

I am immensely proud of how our faculty, staff and students have risen to the occasion. In addition to completing a successful fall semester and keeping our promise to offer in-person commencement ceremonies to our 2020 graduates, we enjoyed a number of milestones last year, such as:

• We continue to strengthen our position as a research powerhouse, including being awarded some of the largest research contracts in Clemson’s history. In the last two weeks of the year alone, the University was awarded an $18 million contract to work with the U.S. Army to develop next-generation technologies to support creation of self-driving combat vehicles and was named as one of five university partners to work with Battelle to operate the Savannah River National Laboratory under a 10-year, $3.8 billion contract from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• The Clemson Family also continued to show its confidence in the University through unprecedented philanthropic support: In October, we unveiled the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, made possible by a $60 million gift from Billy and Ann Powers. Part of the gift, the largest in University history, honors the memory of Billy and Ann’s grandson, Chandler Burns, and will provide transformational support for how Clemson educates students for careers in business for generations to come.

• Despite the uncertain environment, Clemson continues to be an attractive option for talented students across South Carolina and the nation. In fact, at a time when many universities have experienced sharp enrollment declines, we saw our total enrollment increase 2.3 percent from the fall of 2019.
• And, although things didn’t go as we had hoped last week in the Sugar Bowl, Clemson football capped another great year for Athletics with its sixth straight trip to the college football playoffs. Our men’s soccer team also brought home the ACC title this fall and our women’s softball team was off to an amazing start last spring before the pandemic canceled the second half of the season. And both our men and women’s basketball teams are performing very well so far this season. I am extremely proud of the dedication shown by our student-athletes under these difficult circumstances, as well as by the commitment of our Athletics staffers.

More testing, more in-person classes expected this spring

As I have mentioned before, our commitment to aggressively testing our students and employees made it possible for us to complete the fall semester as planned and with a COVID-19 prevalence rate of under 2 percent for the last two months of the semester.

As result of the great work of many staff and faculty, I was honored to be one of just three university presidents nationwide to be asked to share best practices related to our COVID-19 work with Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, Public Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, in a national call just before Christmas.

As we move into the new semester, we continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in South Carolina, and although the development of multiple vaccines brings great hope, we expect the next few months to remain challenging.

At the same time, our experience in the fall has shown us that we can provide a safe environment for our students and employees through aggressive testing and adherence to common sense interventions, such as social distancing, hand-washing and wearing face coverings.

Our approach in the spring will be consistent with what we did last fall – with an even greater emphasis on testing. As we did last fall, all students and employees will need to provide a negative test result or provide proof of a positive test result from the past 90 days. Beyond that, we will require that all students and employees working on campus be tested weekly for the remainder of the spring semester.

Our approach is logistically challenging, labor intensive and expensive. It’s also the right thing to do for our students, who are craving increased on-campus education and activities, and for our faculty and staff who make it all possible.

The challenges presented by the pandemic are far from over, and now is not the time for any of us to let our guard down. We will continue to approach the situation as we have from the earliest days — by making decisions informed by science and data, and with a focus on providing a Clemson experience for our students in a safe environment.

Like all of you, I can’t wait for the day we can return to something that more closely resembles our pre-COVID way of life. Until that time comes, however, know that Clemson remains committed to moving forward and fulfilling its mission as one of the country’s premiere land-grant universities.

We couldn’t do it without the support of our employees, alumni, donors and friends across South Carolina and around the country. My deepest appreciation, as always, to all those whose support makes our work possible.

Here’s to a great 2021 — and Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

Today, we marked the formal end to the fall semester by celebrating nearly 2,000 December graduates at socially distant, but in-person ceremonies at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.  Our newest Tiger alumni, along with our May and August graduates, exemplify the very best of the Clemson spirit by finishing strong in the face of unprecedented circumstances.

Nothing about this past year has been easy, but I am extremely proud of the way our employees and students have pulled together to allow us to complete a successful fall semester. As we look ahead to the spring, I am excited about our plans to offer even more in-person classes. Indeed, we are planning for nearly 60 percent of our courses in the spring to have some face-to-face component, with about one-third being taught fully in-person.

Our testing strategy, developed with the guidance of both faculty and outside health experts, was instrumental in driving COVID positivity rates to well below 2 percent for the last several weeks of the fall semester. With the recent addition of our on-campus testing lab, we plan to test even more frequently in the spring, with all students and those employees working on campus being tested weekly.

We also are encouraged by the recent approval of a vaccine to combat the COVID-19 virus and, like everyone, I am hopeful that the pandemic will be brought under control in the coming months. Still, now is not the time to let down our guard, and I encourage all our students – and all members of the Clemson Family – to take common-sense precautions to remain safe during the holidays.

No employee furloughs planned for the spring 

As many of you know, all Clemson employees who earn more than $50,000 a year – approximately half of our total workforce – were required to take furlough days, or in some cases asked to take an equivalent temporary pay cut, this fall in order to help offset the financial impact of the pandemic on the university. This difficult action saved Clemson more than $7 million, and I am deeply appreciative of everyone’s sacrifice.

As we look to the spring semester, I am pleased to report that similar actions are not deemed to be necessary at this time. The pandemic has undoubtedly taken a financial toll on Clemson but the underlying financial strength of the university, along with other steps we have taken to control spending, make further furloughs unnecessary unless things change.

Twenty-nine of the most highly compensated employees in our self-sustaining Athletics department, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, will continue their voluntary pay reductions through the end of the fiscal year as originally planned. These efforts, along with other steps such as a sharp curtailment in hiring, freezing salaries, the elimination of most non-essential travel and the decision to operate at fiscal year 2020 budget levels well into the current fiscal year, helped make it possible for us to freeze undergraduate tuition for the current year despite incurring significant costs related to the pandemic.

We will continue to operate in a way that prioritizes efficiency while not sacrificing academic quality or our student experience.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday

As we prepare to turn the page on a very challenging year and look forward to what I believe are better days ahead, I want to take a moment to thank our dedicated faculty and staff who work so hard to make this a special place and whose efforts contribute greatly to the success of our state.

I also offer my sincerest gratitude to our alumni, donors and friends across the country. Your generosity and support make our work possible.

I hope you will take a moment to view the short holiday greeting below from Beth and me. From our family to yours: Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! And, I wish you the very best for the New Year!

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family,

I’d like to put to rest any speculation surrounding my name being mentioned as the next commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

I informed Board of Trustees Chairman Smyth McKissick today of my desire to remain at Clemson University and to continue to build on what we have accomplished over the past seven years. There remains much work to be done in taking the vision of Thomas Green Clemson into the 21^st Century by building on the values of this great institution.

I love Clemson. My wife, Beth, and I love this university and the people of this university. These have been incredible years since I arrived in 2013, but this great story is not yet finished. As I begin my eighth year, I look forward to many chapters to come and remain dedicated to pursuing excellence in the classrooms, in the research labs and on the athletic fields.

I have great respect and admiration for the ACC and its administration and staff. I am humbled that my name would appear as a finalist for this opportunity.

I want to thank the Board of Trustees as well as each of you in the Clemson Family. I’m inspired every day by our faculty and staff whose hard work has led to our many successes.

I am excited about the future and greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue serving the Clemson Family.

Chairman Smyth McKissick asked that I share his thoughts:

“Jim’s presidency has been incredibly successful. He and the team he has built have set records in academics, athletics, fundraising, research and many other areas. His fierce loyalty to Clemson and commitment to its success is exceeded only by his passion for helping students achieve at the highest levels.”

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

Today marks the end of our final full week of in-person classes for the fall semester. After next Tuesday, all classes will revert to online instruction, and we are strongly encouraging our students to not return to the Clemson area following the Thanksgiving holiday.

These steps are consistent with our ongoing commitment to keeping students, employees and the community safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that commitment, I urge any students who haven’t received a COVID-19 test recently to take advantage of our free testing at Littlejohn Coliseum next Monday and Tuesday before heading home for the holiday. The testing site will be open from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day and students can reserve a time slot here.

As we wrap up on-campus instruction and activities for the fall, I want to thank our faculty and staff for their continued great work this semester. Our testing and quarantine strategy allowed us to handle the expected short-term spike in cases when our students returned to campus in September, and for the past several weeks our rate of positive cases has been between 1-2 percent, much lower than the state and national averages.

Our preparations for the spring semester, and beyond, are well underway. We have heard the desire of some students and their parents for more in-person classes next semester and we are working to meet that need. More than half of our classes next semester will be offered with at least some in-person component, and the number of classes scheduled to be conducted completely in the traditional mode also will be greater.

All in-person classes will be conducted under the current COVID-19 safety protocols, which have proven effective. While our ability to offer large classes completely in-person is somewhat limited by classroom space constraints, our team has done a terrific job maximizing the available space, and we’re looking forward to more face-to-face instruction in the spring.

Looking even farther ahead, we’re already planning for our on-campus students who will be with us next fall. In fact, current students will be receiving information next week on how they can sign-up for on-campus housing for next fall. Housing applications for returning campus residents will be accepted beginning January 10, 2021 and students should look for application instructions in their e-mail next week.

Board adopts new Standards of Ethical Conduct policy

Clemson University’s Board of Trustees recently adopted a new policy to protect the University’s reputation for excellence and integrity. The Standards of Ethical Conduct, available here, sets forth the general principles to which the Board subscribes and expects every member of the University community to adhere.

The policy covers ethical standards, compliance with law, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and academic and research integrity, and more. The policy sets forth both the expectations for the entire University and its members, and outlines reporting and enforcement guidance to ensure compliance. This is just another way Clemson strives to lives its values every day. 

Commencement a big success

I was thrilled to be able to spend much of last weekend in Greenville celebrating our May and August graduates. Altogether, more than 2,200 graduates and their families joined us for one of seven ceremonies at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and it was great to see so many smiling faces.

We are scheduled to hold commencement for our December graduates at Bon Secours December 16 and 17, and I am looking forward to both days already. Our Class of 2020 graduates deserve all the praise we can give them for completing their degree requirements under very challenging circumstances. I know they will make the world a better place, just as Clemson graduates have been doing for nearly 130 years.

Taking a moment to be thankful

This year has been extraordinarily challenging for many of us. Virtually all of us have been directly impacted, or knows of someone who has been impacted, by the ongoing pandemic.

Still, there is much about which to be thankful. I am especially thankful to be part of the Clemson Family and for the opportunity to work alongside thousands of amazing and dedicated people who want nothing more than to serve our great state and provide the life-changing opportunity of a college education to our students. I also firmly believe that what unites us is greater than what divides us, and that by working through our differences with respect and civility, we can meet the challenges we face. In fact, the values of honesty, respect and integrity drive everything we do at Clemson.

I want to wish everyone in the Clemson Family a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please do what you can to stay safe and keep those around you heathy. To our students, good luck on final exams and happy holidays – I already miss you and look forward to seeing you back on campus in January.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

Today we began three days of celebrating our May and August graduates with two commencement ceremonies at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. By the end of the weekend, we will have conducted seven in-person ceremonies with more than 2,200 new graduates and their families expected to attend.

This is not how any of us expected the academic careers of our newest graduates would conclude, but I am proud that we were able to keep our promise to our graduates and offer in-person ceremonies. I want to thank our commencement planning team and our administrative leaders for their great work to make this possible.

I also offer my deepest appreciation to our faculty for their work over the past two semesters. They have upended their routines and learned new modes of teaching – but have never wavered from their commitment to our students. Thanks for your dedication, flexibility and expertise.

And to all our May and August graduates: Congratulations! You did it!

You have completed your Clemson journey in the face of challenges that none of us have seen before. Your perseverance and commitment are a true reflection of the Clemson Spirit, and I could not be more proud of each of you.

Clemson graduates are making a positive difference in countless ways around the world, and I know our newest graduates also will make us proud. I am excited to be spending my weekend with this very special group of Tigers.

The chance to personally recognize all our graduates during commencement is the best part of my job, and this year it is doubly special – and not just because of the unusual circumstances. On Sunday, I also get to be a proud dad when my daughter Hannah walks across the stage in recognition of earning her master’s degree in teaching with an emphasis in special education. Congrats, Hannah!

And, speaking of commencement, we remain on schedule to hold December ceremonies as planned at Bon Secours Dec. 16-17. Details can be found here.

As we enter the final month of classes for the fall semester, I am thankful that we have been able to offer our students some semblance of a Clemson experience in the midst of the pandemic. We know, however, that the virus continues to pose challenges for all of us and we remain committed to doing our part to keep the Clemson community safe as we move into the spring semester. I encourage all members of our community to continue to do their part by wearing face coverings, practicing appropriate social distancing and washing your hands frequently.

We all have a stake in keeping the Clemson Family safe. By staying united as Tigers I am confident we will continue to navigate this pandemic and emerge strong.

As always, my thanks to all those who support this great university.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

This has been an extraordinary week for our nation. While watching our electoral process play out for all the world to see, I find myself thankful for the rights we all have as citizens of this great country. To our students who voted, many for the first time, I applaud you for making your voices heard.

Inevitably, some will be delighted with the results while others will be disappointed. That diversity of thought and opinion is good and necessary. The success of our work as a university depends, to a large degree, on informed and civil debate among a community that represents a wide range of viewpoints and experiences.

In my message last week, I shared the view that what unites us as a nation is greater than what divides us. That is especially true within the Clemson Family. Our university has, for more than 131 years, stood as an embodiment of Thomas Green Clemson’s vision for a “high seminary of learning” in service to our students, state and nation.

As we reflect on this week and what lies ahead, I want to encourage all members of the Clemson Family to look for ways to bridge any gaps among those around you and to not lose sight of our core values of honesty, integrity and respect. We’re not always going to agree with one another, but we can, and should, always strive to share our views in a civil manner that respects the views of others. I urge everyone to extend to one another an extra measure of grace and be willing to accept the same in return.

More in-person classes expected in the spring

Our faculty has worked extremely hard to provide some in-person instruction this semester, while at the same time offering a robust online experience for students. While we have been pleased with the offerings this fall, we understand — and share — the desire from our students and their families for even greater in-person instruction.

Accomplishing that goal has been a priority for our Provost and his academic leadership team. We are confident that for the Spring semester we will be able to offer both more courses with an in-person component and a greater number of courses that will include the option for students to attend completely in person if they choose.

In order to finalize our spring academic plans, we have delayed the start of course registration for the Spring semester by a few days. Registration will now start Nov. 9. I want to stress that our plan for the spring includes continuation of the COVID-19 safety and prevention measures that we instituted this fall, including our aggressive testing strategy.

Graduation ceremonies set for next week

Next week is a big one for our May and August graduates. Our graduates and their families will participate in one of seven scheduled ceremonies Nov. 13-15 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.

We used the arena last month for our Ring Ceremony and the Bon Secours staff did a great job of ensuring a safe and successful event for us. I can’t wait to honor the accomplishments of our recent graduates next week!

And, as a reminder, our December graduation ceremonies also will be held at Bon Secours Dec. 16-17. Details can be found here.

Finally, as we continue to navigate these challenging times during this pandemic, please continue to wear your masks, wash your hands and maintain safe distances. I am especially proud to be part of the amazing and caring Clemson Family and am deeply appreciative for all that each of you do to make our university a truly special place.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

As we close out October and head into the final weeks of in-person and online instruction for the fall semester, I remain heartened and humbled by the great work of our faculty, staff and students who have come together to make this most unusual semester a success.

Through the end of the day yesterday, the University has conducted nearly 100,000 COVID-19 tests, a figure we believe to be second only to the University of Illinois and far more than most other universities across the country. Our aggressive testing approach, which has been bolstered in the past two weeks by the start-up of our own high-capacity saliva-testing lab, has allowed us to quickly identify and isolate infected and exposed individuals.

The results, which can be seen at our COVID-19 dashboard, show that our rate of positive tests has fallen steadily since our return to on-campus activities in mid-September and is less than 1 percent for the past week, far below the state average. Currently, less than 10 percent of our quarantine and isolation space is in use.

My deepest gratitude goes out to our faculty, staff and testing partners for their great work. I also want to commend our students for their responsible “team first” attitude when it comes to following safety protocols.

As a reminder, our final day of in-person classes for the semester will be Nov. 24. The final two weeks of the semester after Thanksgiving break, including final exams, will be conducted virtually.

We strongly encourage students to not return to the campus or surrounding community following Thanksgiving. Staying away will minimize the risk of our students reintroducing the virus into the community after the Thanksgiving holiday and will reduce the likelihood of students needing to be quarantined into the year-end holiday period.

Clemson strengthening its processes to combat sexual violence and support survivors

For much of the past week, a group of students dedicated to combatting sexual and interpersonal violence has been working to raise awareness of these important issues through peaceful demonstrations on our campus. We share their commitment and desire to eradicate sexual violence on our campus and in our society.

Several members of the University’s leadership team have met with these students many times over the past week, and in recent months, to listen and learn about their concerns and ideas for change. We will continue those conversations and use them to inform our work as we move forward.

Much of what we have heard is consistent with the ongoing work we have been doing for more than a year to strengthen our investigatory and adjudication processes related to reports of sexual misconduct, to provide greater support to survivors of sexual violence and to raise awareness that such violence has no place on our campus.

Clemson has a well-deserved reputation as one of the safest college campuses in the country, and we will continue to do make this a priority. Sexual violence has no place on our campus and in our society, and we are committed to making continuous improvement in this, and all, areas related to the safety and wellbeing of our students.

Ring Ceremony a success; November commencement plans moving forward

I had the great pleasure last Sunday to celebrate at our Ring Ceremony with approximately 1,650 students who have completed at least 90 hours of study. In order to comply with social distancing requirements, the event was moved to Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville and split into three sessions, including one for students who received their rings in the spring but were unable to celebrate at that time due to the pandemic.

It was great to be with our students and their families to mark this important milestone in their Clemson careers. And, speaking of milestones, we are hard at work preparing to mark the achievements of our May and August graduates November 13 – 15 at Bon Secours.

Our graduates and their families will participate in one of seven scheduled ceremonies, and I can’t wait to see everyone. Similarly, our December graduation ceremonies also will be held at Bon Secours December 16-17. Details can be found here.

Finally, a word about next week’s election. Regardless of your own personal politics, we all share the same awesome responsibility and opportunity to make our voices heard at the ballot box. I encourage all our students to participate in the political process, and no matter the result, it is my hope that, as we move forward, we don’t lose sight of the fact that what unites us is greater than what divides us and that we always strive to treat each other with respect, which is at the heart of the values statement developed by our Board of Trustees.

As always, thanks to everyone in the Clemson Family for your support.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

We are now more than a month into our return to some on-campus instruction and activities, and our aggressive testing strategy continues to pay dividends. Our ability to quickly identify and isolate those infected or exposed to COVID-19 has allowed us to slow the spread of the virus as our latest testing data reflects.

As Dr. Corey Kalbaugh, the leader of our public health strategy team, told our Board of Trustees today, we have conducted more tests than virtually any other university in the country. As a result, the current prevalence rate for COVID among our students is down to about 1 percent and we’re only using 15 percent of our identified quarantine and isolation space on campus.

To further strengthen our testing regimen, our high-capacity saliva testing lab came on line this week. When fully operational, we expect to able to process 5,000 of these non-invasive, reliable and inexpensive tests a day, with same-day results. We are deeply appreciative of Gov. McMaster and the South Carolina Joint Bond Review Committee for their support of nearly $7 million in funding to assist in the development of this lab.

In addition to serving our students and employees, the lab – which is being led by Dr. Delphine Dean, the Ron and Jane Lindsay Professor of Bioengineering – eventually will allow the University to help support the testing needs of the Upstate region, as well as other higher education institutions in the state. This sort of commitment is consistent with Clemson’s long-standing service mission as a land-grant university.

University to revert to online-only instruction after Thanksgiving

We announced yesterday that, after significant consultation with the University’s COVID-19 public health strategy team and our external health consultants, we will revert to online-only instruction following the Thanksgiving holiday for the final two weeks of the Fall semester. The final day of in-person instruction will be Tuesday, Nov. 24.

This decision will greatly reduce the likelihood of students reintroducing the virus into the community when they return from the holidays. In doing so, we expect far less need to quarantine or isolate students during final examination period and the start of the year-end holidays.

The University is strongly encouraging all students to not return to campus or the surrounding community following the Thanksgiving break. On-campus resident students and unlimited meal plan holders who do not return to campus will receive a credit or refund for the unused portions of their housing and dining contracts

As announced last week, the University’s academic calendar for the Spring semester remains unchanged at this point. As we approach the Spring semester, we will provide specific guidance about how to prepare for our return to campus in January.

We want to thank our faculty, staff and students who have worked so hard this semester to make it possible for Clemson to offer some in-person instruction and on-campus activities. It is our hope that this decision will provide a strong foundation for a successful Spring semester.

Discovery work continues at Woodland Cemetery

The University has completed ground-penetrating radar testing of Woodland Cemetery on our main campus designed to determine the possible presence of unmarked graves. The survey work has located 604 possible unmarked graves throughout much of the cemetery, including a dozen at the crest of the hill inside a fenced area where members of the John C. Calhoun family were buried starting in 1837.

The number of graves, coupled with the locations, suggest the possibility that some may pre-date the period when the land was part of Calhoun’s Fort Hill Plantation from 1830 to 1865. Many of the graves are thought to be those of enslaved people who worked at the plantation and later as sharecroppers and Black laborers, including convicted individuals involved in the construction of Clemson College from 1890 to 1915.

Dr. Rhondda Thomas, the Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature at Clemson whose research and teaching focuses on early African-American literature and culture, is working with the local African-American community. She formed a Citizens Advisory Council with members representing Clemson/Central, Anderson, Pendleton and Seneca areas to help guide Clemson in the preservation and memorialization of the site. She also is working with the local community to identify family members who may have ancestors buried in the unmarked graves.

University Historian Dr. Paul Anderson leads the research work. All of his team’s findings are published to a website Clemson created to document the University’s role in Woodland Cemetery and give voice to the African Americans who are buried there.  

Graduation, retention rates at all-time highs

At our quarterly Board of Trustees meeting today, I shared some incredible news about the work we are doing to attract, retain and graduate our students.

• The University’s 6-year graduation rate of 85 percent is an all-time high and is one of the very best in the country among public universities.
• Our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 94 percent for this year also is a record and is 20 percentage points higher than national average.
• Our class of approximately 4,200 new incoming students is 300 above last year’s total and is especially impressive given the challenges many other universities are seeing due to the pandemic. Indeed, in a recent survey by the American Council on Education, 55 percent of universities reported lower enrollment this year.

These data points, along with others such as the continuing growth of our students winning national scholarships, confirm that the “Power of the Paw” has never been stronger. Not only do we continue to attract great students, but once they arrive they are happy, supported and they excel.

None of this is possible, of course, without the work of our outstanding faculty and staff – and the continued support of our alumni and friends across the country. Thanks to all of you for making Clemson a special place.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

Today is a historic day for our University.

This morning, we announced the largest act of philanthropy since Thomas Green Clemson willed the land on which our main campus sits for the purpose of creating a “high seminary of learning” to serve the state of South Carolina.

Over the past 131 years, the vision for Clemson has grown considerably, and while we strive for national prominence every day we have never lost sight of our primary mission – to serve the residents of our great home state. I am immensely proud of the work of our faculty and staff, but none of that work is possible without the ongoing support of the Clemson Family, especially our passionate donor base.

That’s why I was honored to announce this morning that two of Clemson’s great friends – Billy and Ann Powers – have provided a $60 million gift to the University to benefit the College of Business.

As a result of this transformational gift – one of the largest ever given to a higher education institution in South Carolina – both the college and our gorgeous new business building will bear the name of our benefactors: The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. This is the first named college at Clemson and sets the stage to make the University a national leader in business education.

Billy’s ties to Clemson span more than 60 years, dating back to his time as a student. Billy had to leave Clemson to help with the family business before earning his degree, but has remained close to the University over the years. He has been a significant donor for many years, although until this gift he had done so anonymously.

That desire to help others quietly has been a driving force for Billy and Ann throughout their lives, and they have used their business success to help countless individuals and organizations around the state, especially in the Florence area where they live. In fact, Billy and Ann’s desire to not draw attention to their philanthropy was only superseded by their wish to honor the memory of their grandson Chandler Burns, a 2015 Clemson graduate, with this gift.

Chandler was an outstanding student who was on a course to play a role in the future of the Powers Companies when he tragically died in 2016 after a short illness. As part of the Powers’ gift, one tower of the building has been named in Chandler’s honor.

Billy and Ann represent the very best of the Clemson Family: Compassionate, loyal, determined, successful – and above all dedicated to improving our communities and supporting the people who live in them. It is our responsibility to live up to the confidence Billy and Ann have demonstrated in Clemson with this gift, and I am excited by the vision that Dean Wendy York, who joined Clemson from Stanford in 2018, has created for the college.

In addition to supporting the operation of the building and the college’s signature academic programs, this gift will help us attract the best faculty in the world through the creation of endowed professorships. Importantly, it also will allow us to provide financial support to talented students, with an emphasis on assisting South Carolina students.

This gift also is the result of hard work by many Clemson staff members. My deepest thanks and appreciation go out to all those involved in securing this gift, especially our Development and Alumni Relations team, led by Vice President Brian O’Rourke and Senior Associate Vice President for Development JoVanna King.

The generosity of Billy and Ann Powers will change the course of our students’ lives for generations to come and, in the process, will help create a more vibrant business and economic environment for South Carolina. We are deeply appreciative and humbled by their generosity and confidence in Clemson.

Academic Calendar Update

I want to share the news that as of now, we anticipate no changes to the calendar for spring semester. We plan to return to classes on Jan. 6, 2021, and spring break is scheduled for the week of March 15. A final decision on whether we will return to in-person instruction this fall following Thanksgiving is expected by early next week.

I would encourage our students to think carefully before planning international trips of any type for spring break. We are prepared to pivot and make changes to the calendar – including potentially canceling spring break – should circumstances dictate. As has been the case since the onset of the pandemic, our decisions will be guided by science, and the safety of our community will be our top priority.

Graduations and Ring Ceremony Set

I look forward to celebrating with our May and August graduates next month. We have scheduled seven ceremonies from Nov. 13 – 15 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. Similarly, our December graduation ceremonies also will be held at Bon Secours Dec. 16-17. Details can be found here.

We also are moving forward with our fall Ring Ceremony, which has become one of the most popular events we hold each year, and one of my favorites.  This year, we will break the event into three ceremonies on Oct. 25, also at Bon Secours.

We realize that moving the ceremonies off campus is not ideal, and it had been our hope to hold them in Clemson, but it just isn’t possible at this time due to the size of Littlejohn Coliseum. We have, however, held commencement at the Bon Secours arena in the past, and its size allows us to safely hold these events. I’m confident we will be able to celebrate with our students and their families in style.

COVID-19 update

We continue to make progress in our work to mitigate the spread of the virus in our campus community as result of our aggressive testing, which is among the most thorough testing strategies in the country. Our most recent testing update, which was posted today, shows that the percentage of our students testing positive declined for the second straight week. The number of students in quarantine or isolation as result of COVID-19 has remained steady, and we still have sufficient available space to support our students who have been infected or exposed.

We moved to weekly testing of on-campus student residents this week as part of our evolving strategy designed to gain as much information as possible about the prevalence of the virus in our community. We also are scheduled to implement saliva testing for employees next week, which will allow us to test even more people in the least invasive manner possible. 

Today’s celebration of Billy and Ann Powers’ amazing act of generosity is a vivid reminder of the spirit and power of the Clemson Family to make the world a better place. I am so proud to be part of this great university and thankful for all those who help make our important work possible.

Go Tigers!

Dear Clemson Family:

We are completing our third week of in-person instruction and on-campus activities and continue to make good progress in our efforts to successfully complete the fall semester. I am extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students all of whom have worked hard to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the university community.

As with many universities, we have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in the weeks since bringing our students back to campus. The overall rate of infection among our students, however, has fallen in the past week. I’m also pleased to report that we continue to have no known hospitalizations as result of the virus.

Our testing strategy – unlike that at many universities – is designed to seek out asymptomatic individuals with the virus so that we can promptly isolate or quarantine them to control the spread of COVID-19. As a result, while the number of cases reported remains somewhat high, we have good intelligence on the progression of the virus and have been able to stay ahead of it. Updated information on the number of positive cases and students in quarantine or isolation can be found at our COVID-19 testing dashboard.

In keeping with that approach, the University continues to fine-tune its student testing, and starting next week will begin testing all on-campus residents on a weekly basis – in addition to conducting random testing of off-campus residents. While this is a bit of an inconvenience to our students, please know that we have moved away from the more invasive deep nasal testing to other methods.

Also, this approach to testing is a vital part of our work to complete the fall semester, and I want to personally thank our students who have shown great flexibility as our testing plans have evolved. Your participation in our testing has been invaluable.

Quarantine and isolation update

One byproduct of our aggressive testing strategy, which has been praised by Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House Pandemic Task Force, has been the need to quarantine or isolate our on-campus resident students who have been infected or exposed to COVID-19. We currently have approximately 290 students in quarantine or isolation space specifically set aside for that purpose. Additionally, another 240 students are quarantining or isolating in their private or semi-private residence hall rooms.

This has been a daunting task for our Clemson Home team, which has the responsibility to ensure that we take good care of our students who need to be quarantined or isolated. We’ve had a few bumps in the road over the past couple weeks, but the team has risen to the occasion with the help of volunteers across campus, and I am very proud of their work on this issue. Additionally, our Emergency Operations Center has focused solely in recent weeks on doing whatever it takes to make sure these students get the best possible care and treatment during what is a very stressful time for them.

Clemson Extension continues to serve South Carolina

Clemson’s Extension offices serve as the University’s front door to residents across South Carolina, with agents helping individuals in every county of the state. Due to the pandemic, our Extension offices have been closed to in-person operations since March, but our agents have never stopped working on behalf of the state’s residents.

Our agents took to the phones and went online to provide the kind of services our farmers and individuals expect from Clemson Extension: from April through August, the Horticulture program’s Home and Garden Information Center had a 116 percent increase in website traffic for hgic.clemson.edu, an 85 percent increase in emails answered and a 43 percent increase in phone calls answered.

Although the Clemson Extension team has remained busy throughout the pandemic, in-person services are at the heart of our Extension mission, so I’m delighted to report that we have established a phased plan to return to more normal operations. Based on weekly, county-by-county data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Extension offices will reopen in stages. Service is at the heart of Clemson’s land-grant mission, and I could not be more proud of the Extension team for its commitment and innovation during the pandemic.

Reminder: Wear your masks and keep your distance

Although our students and employees continue, for the most part, to exercise good judgment when it comes to the common-sense safety measures associated with COVID-19, now is not the time to let our guard down. I want to remind everyone that face coverings are mandatory while indoors on campus and while outdoors when social distancing isn’t possible. Likewise, the City of Clemson has extended its face covering requirement until late December, so our students need to continue to do their part to be good citizens and abide by the city’s rules.

Finally, we have another home football game this weekend and I want to encourage all our guests to campus and the city this weekend to do their part to keep our students and community residents safe. In many ways, our football safety protocols have become a national model and have shown it is possible to play football with fans in the stands – let’s keep it that way!

As always, our success relies on the hard work and support of countless individuals. My deepest appreciation goes out to our faculty and staff for their steadfast commitment to this University and to our students. We also are grateful to all our donors and supporters across the nation who help make this work possible.

Go Tigers!