Celebrating All Abilities is this year’s theme for NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month) where we recognize the abilities of all our students, staff and faculty.
Events are open for everyone to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of persons with disabilities, raise awareness of disability-related topics, and equip the campus community with knowledge and strategies of how best to continue supporting individuals with disabilities. The Division of Civil and Individual Rights, the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, the Office of University Compliance and Ethics, Clemson Computing and Information Technology, and Student Accessibility Services have partnered to host several events in October.
This year’s keynote speaker: Adam Gorlitsky will debut a new manual exoskeleton in partnership with CU’s Biomedical Engineering.
Adam Gorlitsky, para-athlete, advocate, and founder of LEGS Medical, debuts a NEW manual exoskeleton while sharing his resilience story, achievements, and partnership with Clemson University Biomedical Engineering to advance innovation and expand access to adaptive technology.
We will also be hosting 10 virtual “Let’s Break to Educate” events that are open to the public that feature faculty and staff presentations on multiple disability awareness topics ranging from digital accessibility and comprehensive instructional practices to Deaf culture, neurodiversity, and effective approaches to accommodation.
Please see the attached flyers for information on all our events.
We hope you will join us for these events! Please feel free to print/distribute these flyers and forward this email broadly in your areas.
Clemson University is committed to equipping our employees with skills that foster resilience, community and personal growth. The Struggle Well: Learning to Live and Thrive Program is a two-day, evidence-based training provided in partnership with the Boulder Crest Foundation for Post-traumatic Growth to help faculty and staff learn practical tools to navigate stress, adversity, and change while enhancing their ability to thrive personally and professionally.
Key Learning Objectives
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
Understand the Science of Struggle and Growth
Explore how stress and trauma affect the brain, body, and relationships.
Recognize the difference between resilience and posttraumatic growth.
Develop Practical Tools for Self-Regulation
Learn strategies to manage stress, strengthen focus, and promote emotional balance.
Practice mindfulness, gratitude, and reframing techniques for daily use.
Strengthen Relationships and Teams
Build skills to create trust, belonging, and mutual support at work and home.
Apply communication and listening practices that reduce conflict and foster empathy.
Cultivate Purpose and Meaning
Identify core values and strengths to guide decision-making.
Explore how adversity can be a catalyst for growth and renewed sense of purpose.
Apply Struggle Well Tools in the Workplace
Integrate strategies to enhance workplace culture and team well-being.
Connect with Clemson’s Elevate Well-being resources and networks for sustained impact.
Takeaways for Employees
Participants will walk away with:
A personal Struggle Well plan for navigating stress and challenge.
Workplace application strategies to support colleagues and teams.
Increased confidence in their ability to respond to adversity in healthy, growth-oriented ways.
Access to Clemson’s Well-being Ambassador network and ongoing resources to reinforce learning.
A certificate of completion that demonstrates investment in leadership and well-being capacity building.
Alignment with Clemson’s Well-Being Strategy
The Struggle Well program advances Clemson’s commitment to creating a culture of care where every member of our community feels supported and empowered to thrive. It directly supports:
Clemson Elevate: fostering thriving, well-being, and workforce sustainability.
National Frameworks for Advancing Well-being in Workplaces, Communities, and Campuses: protecting from harm, fostering connection, and growing purpose.
Land-Grant Mission: extending well-being knowledge and skills to employees, students, and communities across South Carolina.
✅ Bottom Line: Struggle Well equips Clemson employees not just to “bounce back,” but to grow stronger, more connected, and more purpose-driven—benefiting themselves, their teams, and the broader Clemson community.
Campus Recreation is thrilled to launch a new series of beginner-friendly fitness classes designed to empower students and staff to take charge of their health and wellness with confidence.
Whether you’re stepping into the gym for the first time or just looking to brush up on the basics, Tiger Fitness 101 is here to guide you through the journey. With three classes now available and two more on the way, this series is all about making fitness approachable, inclusive, and fun.
What’s Offered Now:
Intro to Fike
Feeling overwhelmed by the gym? You’re not alone. This class is a gentle introduction to Fike Recreation Center’s many workout spaces. You’ll get a guided tour of the facility, learn what equipment is available, and discover where students and staff typically train. The goal is simple: to help you feel confident walking into the gym and knowing what to do. No experience needed. Duration: Under 45 minutes
Intro to Strength Training
Ready to lift but not sure where to start? This class breaks down the basics of strength training, including how to use machines, proper form, and how to structure a workout based on your goals. You’ll learn about push, pull, and leg exercises, warm-up techniques, and safety tips like spotting. It’s a great beginner-friendly way to build a strong foundation. Duration: Under 1 hour 15 minutes
Intro to Cardio
Cardio doesn’t have to be confusing. This class explores different styles of cardio workouts, how to warm up properly, and how to use our many types of equipment. You’ll also learn how to create a training plan that fits your goals, whether that’s general fitness or preparing for a 5K or 10K. Duration: Under 1 hour 15 minutes
Coming Soon:
Intro to At-Home Workouts – Learn how to stay active with minimal equipment, wherever you are.
Intro to Recovery and Mobility – Discover techniques to help your body recover and stay flexible between workouts.
How to Join:
Signing up is easy! Just visit Clemson Campus Rec to reserve your spot. Link here.
👟 Pro Tip: Wear comfortable workout clothes and supportive shoes to your class.
Good afternoon! In today’s newsletter, Open Enrollment and Annual Required Training are underway, Ombuds Tessa Byer provides the latest insights from the Ombuds Office, Compliance and Ethics Week starts October 20-24, and more.
Are you a Clemson staff or faculty member who is also a graduate student? Would you like to connect to others in the same boat? Join fellow Clemson graduate students who are also faculty/staff for an afternoon of connection at Kite Hill Brewery. This event is designed for those balancing both roles — graduate study and CU employment — to meet, share experiences, and strengthen our Clemson community.
This year’s Annual Required Training launched September 30 and covers two essential areas:
Information Security Awareness (ISA)
Conflict of Interest (COI), including disclosure if applicable
The 2025 annual required training modules are accessible through Tiger Training on September 30, 2025, with a due date of November 18, 2025. The COI and ISA modules will again feature shorter versions for those employees who previously completed training. Faculty and staff will be presented with a knowledge check in both modules. If they pass the knowledge check, they will not be required to take the remaining course content.
Additional resources are available to support your training:
Clemson is celebrating its annual Compliance & Ethics Week (CEW) on October 20–24 and we’re excited to celebrate integrity, accountability, and professional growth across our community. Check out the lineup of events for CEW:
The annual insurance open enrollment period is now underway through October 31! During open enrollment, eligible employees can enroll in or make changes to insurance coverage to take effect January 1, 2026.
The Open Enrollment deadline is October 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
The South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) is the state agency responsible for administering and managing the state’s insurance programs for South Carolina’s public workforce. PEBA’s 2026 Insurance Summary (PDF) is a helpful resource for detailed information about open enrollment options.
Where to Begin
Eligible faculty and staff should review their insurance elections and benefit deductions annually, even if they don’t plan to make changes.
Use PEBA’s Open Enrollment Worksheet (PDF) to review and plan your coverage. Find more information about election options on the 2025 Open Enrollment webpage.
Verify current benefit deductions by accessing your paycheck through Employee Self-Service.
If you are satisfied with your current insurance elections and want them to continue in 2026, you don’t need to make any changes during Open Enrollment, unless you wish to continue your MoneyPlus flexible spending account. Medical Spending Account (MSA), Limited Medical Spending Account (LMSA) and Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) participants must re-enroll each year using the instructions below.
More information about insurance options and how to make open enrollment elections is available on the 2025 Open Enrollment Webpage.
Are you interested in learning more about Clemson’s MBA Options and the ETAP benefits available to you as a Clemson employee? Join us for an upcoming Admissions event to learn more, or if you’d prefer a virtual one-on-one meeting, please email mbaprogram@clemson.edu to get scheduled!
Clemson MBA Open House
Join us for our Fall Open House and meet with MBA staff, tour our beautiful Greenville ONE campus, and meet with a member of our Admissions team.
It has been a long few weeks. There is a lot going on globally, nationally, locally, and across Clemson. Our departments are dealing with financial changes, increasing workloads, and new systems to learn. Our people are encountering more that threatens to divide us, and I fear some of it is. My phone recently suggested to me an article with a title like, “Civility is Dead.” I chose not to read it (partly because who has time to read right now?), but the title stuck with me because I wholeheartedly disagree.
The halls of a university are the place where disagreement is not only possible; it is encouraged. When students are taught critical thinking, the implication is that they make up their own minds about the bigger questions of the day; they don’t just accept what professors or other students or scholars of the past have concluded. And when their conclusions differ from other’s conclusions, that disagreement is not ignored or catastrophized. Disagreement is just another participant in the classroom and in the research lab, a fixture that is always allowed but not allowed to take over.
Civility, then, is being able to keep working together and collaborating even when disagreement is present and when the topic is difficult and personal. You can hate a colleague’s take on current events and still greet them in the morning, ask about their sick dog, and work with them to complete a project. Civility is saying, “I’m not going to relinquish my beliefs, and I’m not expecting you to relinquish yours. But I’m going to see you as human first.”
I was recently working with some undergraduate students as they processed recent events. In this group, they had different takes. They had different heroes and villains in the narratives they told. They disagreed about a lot. And they listened. They pointed out where they agreed with each other. They acknowledged that they did not know everything and while they felt strongly, they made space for each other to argue the other side. They were civil, respectful, sometimes kind. It was an emotional meeting, and it was a productive one.
So amidst all this division, how do we stay civil? It is not easy, but it is simple:
Listen to each other.
Acknowledge what you hear others say.
Highlight your common ground and where you agree.
Separate someone’s worth from their opinions.
Do not flee or shut down at the first sign of disagreement.
Commit to creating an environment where membership on the team does not depend on people’s opinions or voting records.
It’s okay to be disappointed in someone’s stance; you can still be their friend, family member, and colleague.
Civility is hard. Sometimes it might not be possible for you. But it is not dead. In fact, we are the ones who have to keep it alive.
Box #1:
What is the Ombuds Office?
The Ombuds Office is a confidential, independent, neutral, and informal space for staff to process concerns, get information, and develop options for how to move forward in a difficult situation. I can provide education, conflict coaching, mediation, and facilitation as well as referrals to other resources across Clemson. If you are unsure how to move forward in any way, I can help you work through it.
