President James P. Clements' Blog

Dear Clemson Family: Sportsmanship

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

We’re all excited about the start of a new semester and a new football season, and I know that thousands of Tiger fans will join us to watch the season kick off against Wofford on Sept. 5 in Death Valley. We have an exciting home schedule ahead of us this season, which includes big games against teams such as Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Clemson is known across the nation for its commitment to sportsmanship and hospitality. The university has been recognized by the Division IA Athletic Directors Association as one of five “showcase institutions” for sportsmanship programs. It’s because students, faculty, staff and alumni know that the phrase “Solid Orange” is about more than wearing orange on Fridays. It’s also about recognizing that when we wear orange, we represent the university and all of its history and traditions.

Enjoy the season but be safe, courteous to our visitors and respectful of fans – ours and theirs – who are there to enjoy the game. Welcome visiting fans to campus, and demonstrate good sportsmanship to the players, coaches and officials on the field. We’re proud of the Tigers and passionate about winning. But the Clemson Nation is known for winning with class. Thanks for your support.

Go Tigers!!

 

Jim Clements

President

Posted in LettersTagged , , ,

Dear Clemson Family: 2020Forward Strategic Plan Update

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Dear Clemson Family,

Last week, we had the opportunity to brief the Board of Trustees on the 2020Forward strategic plan, and I’m pleased to report that they support the key concepts and charged us to return this fall with a final plan for their official endorsement.

Included among those key concepts are: a sustained commitment to quality in all we do; high-impact engagement as a cornerstone of undergraduate education; growth in research and doctoral enrollment with emphasis on areas where we can achieve national prominence; making Clemson an exceptional place to work; and increasing our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. The plan also retains many of the principles of the 2020 Road Map – including a Top 20 national ranking, an aggressive capital improvement plan, and continued commitment to outreach and economic progress for South Carolina.

I also updated the board on progress in developing a plan for diversity. Over the past few months, we have held dozens of meetings with faculty, staff, students and alumni about how we can improve the climate for diversity and inclusion. In addition, diversity emerged as a consistent theme from each and every strategic planning team. Based on all of this input, we have developed a framework for a plan that we will begin implementing this fall. I will appoint a Diversity Advisory Council before the fall semester to provide counsel to me, the new Chief Diversity Officer and the administrative leadership team and help set priorities.

The diversity plan has four pillars:

 

  • First, develop and implement a strategic plan to increase the diversity of the student body, staff, faculty and administration, with measurable goals, which will be a charge for the new Chief Diversity Officer.

 

  • Second, promote greater cultural awareness and a sense of community, which is the focus of several initiatives launched last spring, such as the monthly student dialogue lunches and a planned lecture series.

 

  • Third, assess and enhance the effectiveness of existing diversity initiatives and support services. As part of this effort, the Gantt Multicultural Center will become part of the Office of Diversity – to enhance coordination and better leverage the expertise and resources of each unit.

 

  • Fourth, we will better document and communicate the history of Clemson, including the role of African Americans and other under-represented groups. We have initiated the process with state authorities to add a series of markers to campus to document this often overlooked part of our history- pending final board review and approval.

 

The board’s resolution about accurately portraying Clemson’s history will support this effort. I applaud the board for opening a discussion on Benjamin Tillman, and I look forward to assisting the task force with their work.  Evaluating, discussing, critiquing and debating important issues are what great universities do to arrive at the best solutions. Understanding and communicating the full story of Clemson’s history is an important part of creating a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment.

Finally — we presented the most strongly supported college reorganization model, and the board appreciated the logic and offered tentative approval, pending further development.  They, and we, understand that college reorganization can be quite challenging, and they encouraged us to continue to work on a reorganization plan that will not only provide optimal academic structures, but also minimal impact on administrative costs.

My sincere thanks to all of you who have participated in the strategic planning process, and to the leadership team of Dr. Ellen Granberg, Vice President Brett Dalton and – most of all – Provost Bob Jones, whose tireless efforts and constant encouragement have helped us reach this point.

As a next step, the Provost will appoint small leadership teams to refine the plans for board review in October. With their final approval, we anticipate launching the 2020Forward strategic plan January 1, 2016, and college reorganization July 1, 2016. We will continue to keep you informed on these important developments. Thank you for all you do for Clemson.

 

Sincerely,

Jim Clements

Posted in LettersTagged

Statement for Clemson Vigil Remembering the Emanuel9

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

To all of you who are here tonight and who are watching live on ClemsonTV, I thank you for your presence. I regret that I am unable to join you in person because of prior out-of-town commitments.

Tonight, our thoughts and prayers are once again with the families and friends of the victims of last week’s horrific shootings. We gather to remember and honor nine lost souls who meant so much to their families, their communities and their church. We also gather to honor their family members, whose powerful words of love and forgiveness – in the midst of unthinkable sorrow — have touched and inspired us.

We will be guided tonight and in the weeks to come by the simple phrase that has been written and spoken thousands of times – we stand with Charleston. We stand with people whose lives were dedicated to service and faith. We stand with people who seek to unite us, not divide us. We stand with each other – in remembrance.

Thank you – and God bless.

Posted in Letters

Dear Clemson Family: We Stand with Charleston

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Today the State of South Carolina mourns for the lives lost in the horrific shooting at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church. Please keep the victims of this crime and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Although the main campus of Clemson University and Charleston are separated by a distance of 240 miles, a tragedy of this magnitude hits very close to home for all of us. Clemson is very much a part of the Charleston community, despite the miles between us. Nearly 8,000 alumni live in Charleston and the surrounding counties, almost 1,900 students hail from the Charleston area, and many faculty, staff and students are working in Charleston in our academic and research programs there.

Among the victims was Senator Clementa Pinckney, who was the youngest African-American to be elected to our state legislature. Sen. Pinckney spent time at Clemson when he was in high school, as a participant in our Career Workshop. He was also a member of the Clemson 4-H program in Jasper County when he was a young man, which sparked his interest in public service. Throughout his life, he was a champion for education and our communities. He was a strong supporter of these programs and was always a dear friend of Clemson University. His life was dedicated to serving the people of South Carolina, and his death is a tragic loss for all of us. My family and I will be praying for the family and friends of Senator Pinckney and the eight other individuals who lost their lives in this tragic event.

Clemson stands with Charleston in this time of grief and loss.

Sincerely,

 

Jim Clements

 

 

 

 

Posted in Letters

2020Forward: Town Hall Meeting

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Our 2020Forward strategic plan continues to take shape, and once again, you have an opportunity to be part of the process at a Town Hall meeting Tuesday, June 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. in 100 Brackett Hall. I encourage you to attend and actively participate.

You will hear an update and have a chance to pose questions to Provost Bob Jones and 2020Forward Co-chairs Dr. Ellen Granberg, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Brett Dalton, Vice President for Finance and Operations. If you are not able to attend in person, the Town Hall will be streamed live on ClemsonTV. You may review report summaries, recommendations and comments at clemson.edu/2020Forward/

Please remember that this isn’t my plan, and it isn’t the Provost’s plan. It is our plan. The priorities we set and the decisions we make will impact Clemson not just for the next few years but for generations to come. It is vitally important that faculty, staff and students help chart the path forward.

I am very pleased with the progress that has been made to date and the level of transparency and campus engagement. I sincerely appreciate the work of the leadership team and everyone who has devoted time and energy to this process. You are making a positive difference for our students and our university.

Go Tigers!

 

Posted in LettersTagged , ,

Message to the Clemson Community

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

This is a message to the Clemson community. Today, many of you will join your colleagues at sister universities across the state in a memorial to recognize the tragic death of Walter Scott. I will be traveling on Monday, but I want you to know that I am proud that Clemson students are actively engaged in the important issues of our time and want to make their voices heard.

Posted in UncategorizedTagged , ,

2020Forward: Help shape Clemson's future

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Clemson is well into its 2020Forward strategic planning update process, and you now have an opportunity to provide your feedback.

On Feb. 9, Provost Bob Jones sent an email to all students, faculty, and staff calling for feedback on the implementation reports written by the 2020Forward phase one planning committees. As a reminder, 2020Forward is an effort to update and refocus the existing 2020 Roadmap, not to replace it. Information about the 2020 Roadmap can be found on the 2020Forward website.

I hope that you all will take the time to read the reports in the three goal areas and provide your feedback. There is also a report on institution-wide strategies that are relevant to all three areas; you may also submit feedback on this report. Your input will be used to help finalize the first phase of 2020Forward and to develop these reports into implementation plans.

This strategic plan update will place all three areas of the academic enterprise — undergraduate learning, graduate education, and research — at the core of our strategic planning and thus will shape the future of the University, as we look beyond 2015, 2020, or even 2050. A process like this does not — and cannot — happen in a vacuum. For this to be a plan for the University, then the people of the University need to participate in writing it.

Please visit the 2020Forward website to read the reports and submit comments; you may also submit comments to forward2020@clemson.edu or respond to a confidential survey on the website. The feedback period ends on Feb. 20.

Please be a part of the process and make your voice heard.

Go Tigers!!

Posted in UncategorizedTagged ,

Diversity and Inclusion

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Clemson University has a time-honored tradition of celebrating the life and legacy Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. As we approach the annual MLK Holiday, it is a good time to reflect on our commitment to inclusion, equal opportunity and ensuring that we have a climate in which everyone can reach his or her full potential.

Clemson enjoyed many significant achievements in 2014, but we also experienced a number of incidents, ranging from an inappropriate themed party to racist and hurtful social media comments, which made some of our students, faculty and staff feel alienated and unwelcome on campus.

Those events, and the many dialogues among students, faculty and staff that followed, led me to announce a series of initiatives to enhance the climate for diversity – a message which bears repeating, as it may have been lost in the pre-holiday rush of activities and the university break.

I have charged Chief Diversity Officer Leon Wiles and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Almeda Jacks with leading this effort, and work is already under way on a number of new initiatives, including:

  • A President’s Lecture Series on Leadership in Diversity to bring nationally recognized speakers to campus;
  • Monthly Student Luncheon Dialogues to bring minority and majority students together to enhance communication and understanding;
  • A standing Diversity Council, with a broad-based membership of internal and external constituents, to help us brainstorm, prioritize and make recommendations on the many issues, ideas and concerns that are now coming forward;
  • Review of all existing diversity plans, climate studies and task force recommendations that have been issued over the past several years – to see where we have had success and where we have fallen short of our goals, and
  • Increased promotion of diversity-focused events and programs to encourage broader attendance and participation.

These are just a few of the efforts getting under way, and let us recognize that there are areas where we are making progress, thanks to the hard work of many faculty, staff and students.

We have implemented a new need-based grant program for low-income students, many of whom are from diverse backgrounds. Professor Emeritus Curtis White is leading an effort to recruit and develop minority faculty. The Diversity Office has a program to support the recruitment and enrollment of minority doctoral students. More than 500 faculty, staff and administrators have completed civil workplace training programs. And, the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Grant Fund has funded more than 30 awards for cross-cultural learning experiences.

This gives us a solid foundation to develop an actionable plan.

We know that these actions will not prevent occasional thoughtless or hurtful remarks or acts – but they do demonstrate our commitment to the core values we teach our students.

Many of the issues now under discussion are complex – such as balancing an honest portrayal of our history with our commitment to inclusion and diversity, or balancing our response to vile social media commentary with our commitment to free speech. And there are honest, sincere and divergent views on how to address them.

All ideas, concerns, solutions and recommendations that have been suggested will be given full consideration. And while we must act with a sense of urgency, it is critical that we give the process a chance to work — and that we make thoughtful, well-informed decisions that benefit from the engagement of many voices and perspectives.

We often speak of the Clemson Family, but we need to live it, not just say it. Family means different things to different people – but central to the concept is a sense that we are all connected. In the words of Dr. King, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”

In that spirit, the students, faculty and staff of the MLK Planning Committee have provided a wealth of opportunities for us to reflect, serve, engage, and learn more about the notions of justice, equal opportunity and inclusion, and how we can advance those ideals at Clemson University.

If you have never participated in an MLK event, this is the year to start. Your participation will bring us a step closer to creating the kind of university where each member of the Clemson family can succeed. Find out more at www.clemson.edu/mlk

Thank you for all you do for Clemson.

Jim Clements

President

Posted in Uncategorized

Excerpts from President’s Message at the 2014 Year-End Faculty/Staff Meeting

Posted on by Matthew Bundrick

Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here today and thank you for your service to the University. It is an honor to be with you in one of the top performing arts centers.

First, let me say congratulations to today’s award winners! You make us all proud to be at Clemson. Let me also thank David Blakeslee, Antonis Katsiyannis and Matt Bundrick for their leadership. Their advice and counsel to me and to the Board of Trustees has been invaluable – during this year of transition. Also since this is Dr. Jones’ first meeting of this type as Executive Vice President /Provost, let’s thank him for his leadership.

It is hard for me to believe that it has been a year since I joined the Clemson Family. And it has been a whirl-wind to say the least.

It has been a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people, to travel all over the state and to hear how much people admire and respect Clemson University.

We enjoyed many significant achievements in 2014 – including the fact that we reached our goal of being one of the nation’s Top 20 public universities.

We also set new records in fund-raising, enrolled another academically strong freshman class and welcomed hundreds of new faculty and staff members to the Clemson Family.

As we look forward to the holiday season and the start of a new year we can take pride and satisfaction knowing that Clemson continues to achieve great things.

Just a few weeks ago, Provost Jones and I held a town meeting to officially kick off the process of re-assessing and updating our strategic plan.

We don’t need to cover that ground again here today – but do know that work is under way and it is moving fast.

The committee structure and membership was announced Monday in Inside Clemson – along with a link to a dedicated website so that you can keep track of progress. You can also provide your input thru this website. And, please do.

However, even as that work takes place, we continue to make progress by implementing the existing plan.

Right now, undergraduate applications are running about 10 percent ahead of the same time last year – which, by the way, was a record year.

And, I’m pleased to announce that this week The Will to Lead capital campaign passed the $850 million mark on the way toward our goal of $1 billion.

That is a significant milestone, but it’s not about the number. It’s about scholarships, faculty and staff support, facilities and programs that will make a difference for our students and our state. I am very thankful to all – who have contributed to this effort!

We also have more than 1 million square feet of construction and renovation projects under way. These projects include the Watt Innovation Center, the expansion of Freeman Hall, Core Campus and Douthit Hills – with more to come.

Replacing and updating our outdated facilities and infrastructure is good news for our students, faculty and staff – even if it comes with temporary inconveniences.

At the same time, it has been a difficult semester in many respects.

We have lost five students – all of whom were bright and smart young people with enormous potential. I ask that you continue to keep the families of those young people in your thoughts and prayers

We also received a number of reports of inappropriate and deeply disturbing behaviors that led to a moratorium on social activities and internal investigations into a number of fraternity organizations.

And, in recent weeks, we have seen events and issues – ranging from an inappropriate themed party to hurtful social media posts – that have caused division and made some of our students feel unwelcome.

Clearly, positive change is needed, and I want to express my appreciation to the many students, faculty, staff and alumni who have come forward to ask – how can they help.

I have asked our Chief Diversity Officer Leon Wiles and our Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Almeda Jacks to lead an effort to enhance diversity and foster a greater sense of unity among all members of the Clemson Family.

Specifically – we are launching the following new initiatives:

  • A President’s Lecture Series on Leadership in Diversity to bring nationally recognized speakers to campus;
  • A monthly Student Luncheon Dialogue that will bring minority and majority students together to enhance communication and understanding; and
  • A standing Diversity Council with a broad-based membership of internal and external groups to keep issues and ideas at the forefront.

We will also review all existing diversity plans, climate studies and task force recommendations that have been issued over the past several years – to see where we have had success and where we have fallen short of our goals.

We know that these actions will not prevent occasional thoughtless or hurtful remarks or acts, but I hope they will demonstrate a step towards our commitment to the core values we teach our student:   integrity, honesty and respect.

 

We should recognize and take pride in areas where we are making progress:

  • We have implemented a new need-based grant program targeting low-income students
  • We have hired Professor Emeritus Curtis White, who is leading an effort to recruit and retain minority faculty
  • The Diversity Office is now allocating nearly a quarter of a million dollars each year to support minority doctoral students, and
  • We have a new Pathfinder program that is bringing eight to 10 minority doctoral students to the campus annually for lectures, visits and networking.
  • More than 500 faculty, staff and administrators have completed civil workplace training programs, and
  • The Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Grant Fund has funded more than 30 awards for cross-cultural learning experiences.

I suspect there will be a lot of discussion on the campus about diversity and inclusive excellence as we revise our strategic plan. There are many good ideas embedded in existing reports, and additional climate studies are planned for this spring. This gives us a solid foundation to develop — an action-oriented plan.

Clemson University has accomplished great things in the past, and I believe we have an even brighter future ahead of us if we work together, if we support and respect each other, and if we provide a campus environment that allows everyone to succeed.

Thank you all for your hard work and your dedication to our students. I hope you have a wonderful, restful and peaceful holiday break.

 

Posted in Speeches