Clemson Update from President Clements – April 10, 2020

April 10, 2020

Dear Clemson Family:

Early this week, I was taking a walk across campus (taking care to stay a proper distance from the few other people I encountered) and was struck by two thoughts.

First, I was reminded what a beautiful place it is that we are all lucky enough to call home, which prompted me to snap a few photos that I shared from my Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Second, it hit me – hard – just how much I missed our students and the energy they bring to campus. They are the reason all of us at Clemson come to work every day, and their absence has made me appreciate them even more.

I’m also blessed to have great teammates across the university who continue to work every day – and many nights – to deliver on our promise of providing a world-class education to our students. Nowhere is that more evident than in our Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which has been running every day since Feb. 29.

This team, led by our Associate Vice President for Public Safety and our Director of Emergency Management, is made up of representatives from across the university. Together, EOC members have been the driving force behind executing almost every major decision we have made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been extremely satisfying to see talented individuals from all disciplines come together with the single goal of serving our students, employees and communities, and I am grateful for their commitment.

It has been another busy week across the University. Here are a few highlights:

• We made the difficult decision to move all summer classes to online instruction, given the continued uncertainty about when it will be safe to have students and employees return to our campuses.
• Similarly, our new student orientation will be delivered primarily in virtual mode, although we hope to have an in-person component for new students available shortly before the start of classes in August.
• Our outstanding Joseph F. Sullivan Center employee health center is now offering free telehealth services for non-COVID related medical issues to all employees, students and alumni. More information on this great service can be found here.
• As mentioned in my previous updates, we have begun collecting funds to help provide emergency relief to our students and employees. Now, I’m pleased to say that we are in a position to accept applications for relief from those in need as result of the pandemic. Students who would like to apply for emergency relief can find the application here, while employees will find the application here. And, we’re also still accepting donations for our Tigers Helping Tigers funds if you would like to give.
• Finally, as promised, we have refunded approximately $15 million in student fees for housing, dining and other student services. We appreciate the patience of our students and their families as we worked through these complex issues, and I want to thank our staff within the finance operation for working quickly get funds back to students.

As I have said before, this is an unprecedented time – not just for higher education, but for the world. I remain confident, however, that Clemson will emerge strong and well-positioned to continue the positive momentum we were enjoying before this pandemic.

Please stay safe, and thanks for your ongoing support of Clemson. It means more than you know.

Go Tigers!

Jim Clements