[{"id":680,"date":"2026-08-13T09:42:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=680"},"modified":"2026-08-13T09:42:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:42:52","slug":"staff-senate-newsletter-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/13\/staff-senate-newsletter-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Senate Newsletter: August 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In today&#8217;s newsletter, Staff Senate President Victoria Perry welcomes the new semester and faces on campus including the new President of Clemson Univeristy, Dr. Benjamin Ayers. Plus, meet this month&#8217;s Clemson Champion- Todd Cochran, read the Ombuds letter and more!<br><br>Join us Thursday, August 13 at 2:30PM in the Watt Center room 106 or virtually\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511<\/a>) for the August Staff Senate meeting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"X94TOOxMsp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/letter-from-the-president-august-2026\/\">Letter from the President, August 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cLetter from the President, August 2026\u201d \u2014 Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/letter-from-the-president-august-2026\/embed\/#?secret=kgSjAoKq7X#?secret=X94TOOxMsp\" data-secret=\"X94TOOxMsp\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ABFJemOmul\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/11\/meet-todd-cochran-clemson-champion\/\">Meet Todd Cochran- Clemson Champion<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cMeet Todd Cochran- Clemson Champion\u201d \u2014 Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/11\/meet-todd-cochran-clemson-champion\/embed\/#?secret=VVn9sRY6sA#?secret=ABFJemOmul\" data-secret=\"ABFJemOmul\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"2NS5LRzBP8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/separate-hopes-and-expectations\/\">Separate Hopes and Expectations<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cSeparate Hopes and Expectations\u201d \u2014 Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/separate-hopes-and-expectations\/embed\/#?secret=Atf4ECewG5#?secret=2NS5LRzBP8\" data-secret=\"2NS5LRzBP8\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uyZ7salAWB\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/13\/national-wildlife-habitat-education-program-whep-contest\/\">National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Contest<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cNational Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Contest\u201d \u2014 Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/13\/national-wildlife-habitat-education-program-whep-contest\/embed\/#?secret=vTXuarP7Ig#?secret=uyZ7salAWB\" data-secret=\"uyZ7salAWB\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"G1mmZmln7v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/participate-in-9-11-memorial-stair-climb-events\/\">Participate in 9\/11 Memorial Stair Climb Events<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cParticipate in 9\/11 Memorial Stair Climb Events\u201d \u2014 Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/participate-in-9-11-memorial-stair-climb-events\/embed\/#?secret=7mkql4V2Lh#?secret=G1mmZmln7v\" data-secret=\"G1mmZmln7v\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today&#8217;s newsletter, Staff Senate President Victoria Perry welcomes the new semester and faces on campus including the new President of Clemson Univeristy, Dr. Benjamin Ayers. Plus, meet this month&#8217;s Clemson Champion- Todd Cochran, read the Ombuds letter and more! Join us Thursday, August 13 at 2:30PM in the Watt Center room 106 or virtually\u00a0(https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123398],"tags":[],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-staff-senate-news"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":685,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680\/revisions\/685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":681,"date":"2026-08-13T09:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=681"},"modified":"2026-08-13T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:41:59","slug":"national-wildlife-habitat-education-program-whep-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/13\/national-wildlife-habitat-education-program-whep-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"WHEP Contest Winners\" class=\"wp-image-682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/P1500816-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you tell the difference between a red-eyed vireo call and an American robin call? Can you tell me what a northern bobwhite eats? High schoolers from across the country can and will get to showcase these talents this July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, our Clemson Extension program teams work together to conduct programs for the state and even the country.&nbsp; A great example of these team efforts is the Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP), where the Clemson Extension Natural Resources, 4-H, and Agriculture Education Teams work together to host our annual <a href=\"https:\/\/news.clemson.edu\/state-whep-contest-helps-grow-south-carolinas-next-generation-of-conservation-leaders\/\">State Contest<\/a>.&nbsp; This past July, Clemson Extension took these efforts one step further. Clemson hosted the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) National Contest, a program for 4-H and FFA high schoolers to learn more about wildlife management and wildlife biology. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staff Senator and Membership Committee Co-Chair, Mallory Maher, currently serves as the WHEP National Committee Chair and led the efforts to host 18 teams in South Carolina at the South Carolina FFA Leadership Center in Cherry Grove, SC.\u00a0 This was the first time South Carolina has hosted the National contest in almost 30 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the contest, youth had the opportunity to meet and interact with professionals from the wildlife industry at a fun, hands-on education day, and then put their wildlife knowledge to the test through various activities, ranging from a wildlife ID contest to writing a wildlife management plan.\u00a0 This program is truly one of the most hands-on and applicable programs in existence, giving youth a glimpse of what a potential career in wildlife or natural resources might look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"221\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1024x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1024x221.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-300x65.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-768x166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1536x332.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-2048x443.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are excited to welcome a regular contribution to the Staff Senate Newsletter from the Extension Senate President, Charley Maxwell. Visit the Extension Senate blog at <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/ces\/\">https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/ces\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you tell the difference between a red-eyed vireo call and an American robin call? Can you tell me what a northern bobwhite eats? High schoolers from across the country can and will get to showcase these talents this July. Often, our Clemson Extension program teams work together to conduct programs for the state and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123399,123398],"tags":[123451],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-you-can-use","category-staff-senate-news","tag-extension-senate"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":684,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681\/revisions\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":672,"date":"2026-08-11T15:47:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T19:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=672"},"modified":"2026-08-11T16:09:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:09:01","slug":"meet-todd-cochran-clemson-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/11\/meet-todd-cochran-clemson-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Todd Cochran- Clemson Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/August-Champion-Social-Post-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Todd Cochran, August 2026 Clemson Champion\" class=\"wp-image-673\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7998148576718352;width:309px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/August-Champion-Social-Post-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/August-Champion-Social-Post-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/August-Champion-Social-Post-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/August-Champion-Social-Post.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meet Todd Cochran, <strong>Space Auditor and Move Manager, Capital Projects<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can you tell us about your role here at Clemson? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>As&nbsp;Clemson&nbsp;University&#8217;s&nbsp;Space&nbsp;Manager&nbsp;and&nbsp;Move&nbsp;Manager,&nbsp;I&nbsp;assist&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;planning,&nbsp;coordination, and management of campus space to ensure it is used efficiently and effectively. I work with departments across the university to&nbsp;allocate&nbsp;and&nbsp;optimize&nbsp;space, support strategic planning initiatives, and coordinate office and departmental relocations. My role involves balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders while ensuring moves are well-organized, minimally disruptive, and aligned with the university&#8217;s operational goals.&nbsp;<br><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is something fun we might not know about you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Outside&nbsp;of&nbsp;work,&nbsp;I&nbsp;enjoy&nbsp;spending&nbsp;time&nbsp;outdoors,&nbsp;tackling&nbsp;DIY&nbsp;projects,&nbsp;and&nbsp;finding&nbsp;new ways to improve or fix things. I appreciate opportunities to stay active and spend time with family and friends.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What brought you to Clemson?<\/strong><em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I was drawn to Clemson by the opportunity to contribute to a university with&nbsp;a strong sense&nbsp;of community, collaboration, and tradition. What I enjoy most about Clemson is working with people across campus to help create spaces that support learning, research,&nbsp;and&nbsp;student&nbsp;success.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;rewarding&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;an&nbsp;institution&nbsp;where&nbsp;the&nbsp;work we do behind the scenes has a meaningful impact on the daily experience of students, faculty, staff, and visitors.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is there anything you would like for people to know about your department? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The Planning, Design &amp; Construction department plays a vital role in shaping Clemson&#8217;s campus for today and the future. Our team works collaboratively to plan, design, and deliver projects that enhance the university&#8217;s learning, research, and work environments.&nbsp;Whether&nbsp;we&#8217;re&nbsp;managing&nbsp;renovations,&nbsp;new&nbsp;construction,&nbsp;space&nbsp;planning, or departmental moves, our goal is to create functional, sustainable, and welcoming spaces that support Clemson&#8217;s mission. We value collaboration, thoughtful planning,&nbsp;and open communication to ensure projects are completed efficiently and with the needs of the campus community in mind.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Clemson Champion is Staff Senate&#8217;s spotlight for exceptional staff and teams at Clemson. Stay tuned and meet more Clemson Champions in future posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet Todd Cochran, Space Auditor and Move Manager, Capital Projects Can you tell us about your role here at Clemson? As&nbsp;Clemson&nbsp;University&#8217;s&nbsp;Space&nbsp;Manager&nbsp;and&nbsp;Move&nbsp;Manager,&nbsp;I&nbsp;assist&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;planning,&nbsp;coordination, and management of campus space to ensure it is used efficiently and effectively. I work with departments across the university to&nbsp;allocate&nbsp;and&nbsp;optimize&nbsp;space, support strategic planning initiatives, and coordinate office and departmental relocations. My role involves [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123445,123399,123398],"tags":[],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clemson-champoin","category-news-you-can-use","category-staff-senate-news"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":678,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions\/678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":667,"date":"2026-08-10T14:36:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=667"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:36:20","slug":"separate-hopes-and-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/separate-hopes-and-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Separate Hopes and Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/02\/Byers.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-586\" style=\"width:186px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/02\/Byers.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/02\/Byers-201x300.jpg 201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tessa Byers, Ombuds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This month, I want to address the difference between my hopes and my expectations.&nbsp; As a personal example, I <em>hope<\/em> as my children grow up, I can develop authentic friendships with them.&nbsp; But those relationships are two-sided, and I cannot control that.&nbsp; As they grow up, I <em>expect <\/em>them to show kindness and respect to those around them, to work hard at school, and to apologize when they mess up.&nbsp; The difference here is that I am going to hold them accountable to my expectations, while my hopes are not something I am going to put on their shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Provost Smith continues to settle into his role, I <em>hope<\/em> he and I can develop trust and rapport.&nbsp; But trust and rapport cannot be forced and can certainly grow with time.&nbsp; I <em>expect <\/em>that as my supervisor he will treat me with respect, listen when I have a concern, and communicate his expectations to me (so far so good\u2014I\u2019m grateful for his return to Clemson!).&nbsp; If those expectations are not met, then it indicates to me that we need to get on the same page about our professional relationship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can <em>hope<\/em> for a lot, but what do I <em>expect<\/em> from the people around me?\u00a0 The difference between hope and expectation is that you might respond to an unmet expectation in the professional domain in a different way than you would an unrealized hope.\u00a0 An unrealized hope is disappointing; an unmet expectation can be an indicator that there is a disconnect between you and the other person that impacts the work you are doing.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three important questions are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do they know what my expectations are?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do they agree to meet these expectations?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the answers to the previous two questions are yes, then why was this expectation not met?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, the person you are expecting to do something needs to know you have those expectations.&nbsp; Expecting someone to read your mind and predict your expectations is never reasonable.&nbsp; What is desirable to you might be completely off the table for someone else, so communication about what you expect is pivotal.&nbsp; Second, you can expect the moon, but until the other person agrees to meet those expectations, either explicitly or not, you cannot expect them to be met.&nbsp; If you are a supervisor, you might not have to seek explicit agreement about your expectations, but communication surrounding them is essential to your employee\u2019s success.&nbsp; If the relationship does not have a power dynamic, you might need to have a more direct conversation about what you expect and whether the other person agrees to live up to that.&nbsp; Of course, they also get to share what they expect, and you can respond.&nbsp; Then you can have an \u201cexpectation negotiation\u201d to see what you both agree to in the relationship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, if you are sure the other person knows your expectations and agrees to them, you can begin to explore why your expectations were not met.&nbsp; Was it a communication challenge?&nbsp; Forgetfulness?&nbsp; Capacity?&nbsp; Malice?&nbsp; Did the other person misunderstand what you expected?&nbsp; In some relationships, it is easy for us to assume bad intentions led to the unmet expectation, but I encourage you to be willing to explore alternative explanations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To keep unrealized hopes or unmet expectations from impacting our work, we need to separate our hopes and expectations.&nbsp; When the separation is successful, we can better process when something undesirable happens.&nbsp; If my kids do not want to be my friend when they grow up, I will be disappointed, but I won\u2019t be devastated that they neglected an expectation that they previously agreed to.&nbsp; I\u2019m also not going to walk into Provost Smith\u2019s office and expect him to be my running buddy!&nbsp; These can be hopes I have that are separate from what I expect to happen.&nbsp; Then if my hope is not realized, I can process it, refuse to let it impact the relationship, and be ready to move forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you been treating your hopes like expectations?&nbsp; Have you been putting your hopes onto people who do not even know what it is you want to happen?&nbsp; When we are clear about what we expect, we are more equipped to respond to unmet expectations.&nbsp; When we separate our hopes, we are not putting something unreasonable onto someone else that they never agreed to achieve.&nbsp; (But side note\u2014there\u2019s no way my kids won\u2019t want to be my friend, right?)&nbsp; Enjoy the last days of summer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>What is the Ombuds Office?<\/strong><\/em><br>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.&nbsp; I can provide education, conflict coaching, mediation, and facilitation as well as referrals to other resources across Clemson.&nbsp; If you are unsure how to move forward in any way, I can help you work through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tessa Byer<br>Phone:&nbsp; 864-656-5353<br>Email:&nbsp; <a href=\"mailto:tbyer@clemson.edu\">tbyer@clemson.edu<\/a> <br>Address:&nbsp; 135 Old Greenville Hwy, Ste. 203 (Next to Esso!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Save the date for upcoming trainings offered by the Ombuds Office:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Don\u2019t Tough It Out:&nbsp; Difficult Situations at Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, from 9:00 to 12:00<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In-person at University Facilities Center, sign up here:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/cf15179e\/sessions\/7126\/enroll\">https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/cf15179e\/sessions\/7126\/enroll<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Navigating Intergenerational Workplaces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtually only, sign up here:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/8c562aa0\/sessions\/7128\/enroll\">https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/8c562aa0\/sessions\/7128\/enroll<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Giving Effective Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wed., Oct. 14 from 9:00 to 10:30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtually&nbsp;only, sign up here:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/3bc50439\/sessions\/7129\/enroll\">https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/3bc50439\/sessions\/7129\/enroll<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Emotional Intelligence at Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In-person at University Facilities Center, sign up here: <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/1be18cf1\/sessions\/7130\/enroll\">https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/1be18cf1\/sessions\/7130\/enroll<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Combating Burnout and Cultivating Resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday, Nov. 6, from 9:00 to 11:00<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtually only, sign up here:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/86042925\/sessions\/7132\/enroll\">https:\/\/clemson.bridgeapp.com\/learner\/training\/86042925\/sessions\/7132\/enroll<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month, I want to address the difference between my hopes and my expectations.&nbsp; As a personal example, I hope as my children grow up, I can develop authentic friendships with them.&nbsp; But those relationships are two-sided, and I cannot control that.&nbsp; As they grow up, I expect them to show kindness and respect to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123399],"tags":[123404,123443],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-you-can-use","tag-ombuds","tag-ombuds-office"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":668,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":664,"date":"2026-08-10T14:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=664"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:28:33","slug":"participate-in-9-11-memorial-stair-climb-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/participate-in-9-11-memorial-stair-climb-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Participate in 9\/11 Memorial Stair Climb Events"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer-791x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-665\" style=\"width:445px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer-791x1024.jpg 791w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer-768x994.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/08\/20260911-Stair-Climb-Flyer.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Clemson University prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, the campus community will have two meaningful opportunities to come together in remembrance, reflection, and gratitude. Through dual 9\/11 Memorial Stair Climb events, Clemson students, employees, and community members are invited to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, while recognizing the courage and sacrifice of first responders who answered the call that day and continue to serve today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first event, hosted by Clemson&#8217;s Military and Veteran Engagement office, will take place at Littlejohn Coliseum. Centered around the theme <strong>&#8220;110 Floors of Resolve; 25 Years Later, Clemson Remembers,&#8221;<\/strong> the memorial stair climb serves as a powerful tribute to the firefighters who climbed the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers to save lives. Participants will symbolically take on that challenge by climbing the Coliseum stairs, reflecting on the determination, bravery, and selflessness demonstrated in the face of unimaginable adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Littlejohn event is open to Clemson students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the public. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with the program starting promptly at 8:30 a.m. Attendees who are unable to climb stairs are encouraged to participate by walking the concourse, ensuring that everyone can be part of this important day of remembrance. Organizers also encourage participants to bring thank-you cards for first responders, which will be delivered to local emergency personnel following the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to remembering those who lost their lives on 9\/11, the event will honor the dedicated professionals who continue to protect and serve communities every day, including members of the Clemson University Police Department, Clemson Fire Department, and Clemson Emergency Medical Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Eventbrite link for this event is:<br> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/911-memorial-stair-climb-at-clemson-university-tickets-1991781045725\">https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/911-memorial-stair-climb-at-clemson-university-tickets-1991781045725<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A second memorial stair climb will be held in Fike Recreation Center, offering another way for the Clemson community to participate. Using the facility&#8217;s stair-climb machines, participants can complete their climb while reflecting on the significance of the anniversary and the enduring legacy of service and sacrifice associated with September 11. This event provides a flexible fitness-focused option for those who may prefer a gym setting while still taking part in the shared mission of remembrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sign up for this event here:<br> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemsoncampusrec.com\/Program\/GetProgramDetails?courseId=6f0a374a-9394-468c-9ab9-3e56829166d6\">https:\/\/www.clemsoncampusrec.com\/Program\/GetProgramDetails?courseId=6f0a374a-9394-468c-9ab9-3e56829166d6<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, these events demonstrate Clemson&#8217;s commitment to honoring the memory of the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11 and paying tribute to the first responders whose heroism inspired a nation. Twenty-five years later, the lessons of courage, resilience, and unity remain as relevant as ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Clemson University prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, the campus community will have two meaningful opportunities to come together in remembrance, reflection, and gratitude. Through dual 9\/11 Memorial Stair Climb events, Clemson students, employees, and community members are invited to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, while recognizing the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123399],"tags":[123438,123439],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-you-can-use","tag-campus-recreation","tag-military-and-veteran-engagement"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":666,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions\/666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":659,"date":"2026-08-10T13:51:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=659"},"modified":"2026-08-13T09:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:23:14","slug":"letter-from-the-president-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/08\/10\/letter-from-the-president-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter from the President, August 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"693\" height=\"693\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-647\" style=\"width:368px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry.jpg 693w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 693px) 100vw, 693px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">2026-2027 Staff Senate President Victoria Perry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear Clemson Staff,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The excitement and energy that the start of a new academic year brings is really something special.&nbsp;For many of us, the start of the fall semester feels&nbsp;kind of&nbsp;like&nbsp;New Year&#8217;s Day.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;an opportunity to welcome&nbsp;new faces, embrace new possibilities, and begin another chapter in the important work we do every day. Whether your role places you directly in front of students&nbsp;(I see you,&nbsp;Clemson Home!)&nbsp;or behind the scenes&nbsp;(we couldn&#8217;t do it without you Student Financial Services!), your efforts help create the Clemson experience that makes this university such a remarkable place to learn, work, and grow.&nbsp;Clemson staff&nbsp;are the &#8220;something in these hills&#8221; that folks talk about.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking of\u00a0new faces\u00a0and new possibilities,\u00a0we have a new President!\u00a0I had the pleasure of meeting\u00a0President Ayers\u00a0last week and\u00a0appreciated his\u00a0candor\u00a0regarding\u00a0communication, partnerships, and his values-driven\u00a0decision-making process.\u00a0I\u00a0am\u00a0excited\u00a0about the energy and experience that\u00a0he\u00a0brings to Clemson and look forward to partnering with him as we continue to support\u00a0staff, faculty, and students.\u00a0If you are interested in getting to know our new President, I highly encourage you to attend the upcoming Presidential All Staff meeting on Tuesday, August 18 at 3:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium (Tillman 160). Please submit any questions for President Ayers using this <a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.e2ma.net%2Fclick%2Flkpdkj%2Ftaj8a4%2Fxplrcy&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccallara%40clemson.edu%7C4520042505ec4f693e6a08def93c82fd%7C0c9bf8f6ccad4b87818d49026938aa97%7C0%7C0%7C639222235465368732%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uyX2v9uZjpw8vSwMZMdytBIDBoKmmLlewIeNIjurwPw%3D&amp;reserved=0\">staff submission form<\/a>\u00a0on the Office of the President website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As&nbsp;we are kicking off the fall semester, I would be remiss if I did not&nbsp;take a moment to look back&nbsp;on the&nbsp;end of our summer&nbsp;semester.&nbsp;Last Friday I had the honor of being a member of the stage party for the summer commencement ceremony. The excitement that fills commencement ceremonies is contagious because it reflects not only what has been&nbsp;accomplished, but also the opportunities that lie ahead. This ceremony is the culmination of months and years of dedication, perseverance, and hard work. For Clemson staff,&nbsp;attaining&nbsp;a degree is balanced alongside full-time careers, family responsibilities, and countless other commitments. This summer,&nbsp;Staff&nbsp;Senate handed out staff stoles to 25&nbsp;individuals&nbsp;who were proudly receiving their bachelor&#8217;s, master&#8217;s, or doctorate degrees.&nbsp;I extend my most heartfelt congratulations to all of you!&nbsp;I&nbsp;truly believe&nbsp;that learning is a lifelong journey, and each of you embodies that commitment every day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we begin another&nbsp;academic&nbsp;year together, Staff Senate&nbsp;remains&nbsp;committed to supporting and advocating for all staff as we continue to learn, grow, and succeed as a community.&nbsp;I encourage you to stay involved in the conversations and initiatives that help shape the staff experience at Clemson by joining us at a&nbsp;Staff Senate meeting. This month will&nbsp;be featuring&nbsp;Mitch Shue introducing the CU AI Initiative, and Kristin Craft with an overview of CU Grow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Date:<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>Thursday, August 13<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Time:<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>2:30 p.m.<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Location\/Link:&nbsp;<\/strong>In person: Watt 106, Virtually:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wishing you a successful start to the fall semester and&nbsp;a great year&nbsp;ahead!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Victoria Perry&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staff Senate President&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Clemson Staff,&nbsp; The excitement and energy that the start of a new academic year brings is really something special.&nbsp;For many of us, the start of the fall semester feels&nbsp;kind of&nbsp;like&nbsp;New Year&#8217;s Day.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;an opportunity to welcome&nbsp;new faces, embrace new possibilities, and begin another chapter in the important work we do every day. Whether your role [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123398],"tags":[123428],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-staff-senate-news","tag-presidents-report"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":679,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659\/revisions\/679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":653,"date":"2026-07-03T10:37:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=653"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:37:48","slug":"invest-in-your-well-being-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/07\/03\/invest-in-your-well-being-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Invest in Your Well-Being This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Join Clemson University Campus Recreation on <strong>Wednesday, July 16, from 1:00\u20133:00 p.m.<\/strong> for a comprehensive <strong>Well-Being Workshop<\/strong> designed to help participants strengthen their personal well-being and cultivate happiness\u2014two indispensable components of a fulfilling life. During this interactive session, attendees will explore how principles of well-being can enhance wellness in personal, group, and professional settings. The workshop includes a classroom presentation and two personal self-assessments, allowing participants to leave with a greater understanding of their own wellness and practical strategies for incorporating the <strong>eight dimensions of well-being<\/strong> into daily life. The workshop will be held in the <strong>Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center, Multipurpose Room B (second floor)<\/strong> and is open to all participants with <strong>no membership required<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clemson University Campus Recreation is committed to supporting the well-being of our campus community through meaningful programs, educational opportunities, and experiences that promote healthy lifestyles. As we look ahead to the fall semester, we encourage faculty and staff to watch for the <strong>Well-Being Calendar<\/strong> featured in the Campus Recreation Newsletter. The calendar will highlight a variety of opportunities designed to foster physical, emotional, social, environmental, and spiritual well-being throughout the academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upcoming offerings will include <strong>gatherings at the firepit<\/strong> that encourage social connection and appreciation of the natural environment; a <strong>guided aromatherapy workshop<\/strong> where participants can create a custom blend to take home (<strong>$10 fee<\/strong>); and <strong>nature walks at the South Carolina Botanical Garden<\/strong> held twice monthly. Additional programs will include <strong>mindfulness sessions featuring Tibetan sound bowls<\/strong>, <strong>reflective journaling workshops<\/strong>, <strong>sunrise and sunset yoga by the lake<\/strong>, <strong>vision board creation and goal-setting events<\/strong>, and <strong>Mindfulness on the Water<\/strong>, which combines outdoor recreation with intentional reflection and relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Campus Recreation is also excited to continue welcoming <strong>Seth, the comfort dog<\/strong>, to campus throughout the academic year. Seth will be available to visit with students on the <strong>first day of classes<\/strong>, as well as during <strong>midterms and finals<\/strong>, providing comfort, stress relief, and a friendly face during some of the semester\u2019s busiest times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you are looking to learn new wellness strategies, connect with others, spend more time outdoors, or simply take a pause from a busy schedule, Clemson Campus Recreation&#8217;s well-being programs offer something for everyone. We look forward to helping our campus community thrive throughout the coming year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/07\/Seth-2026-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join Clemson University Campus Recreation on Wednesday, July 16, from 1:00\u20133:00 p.m. for a comprehensive Well-Being Workshop designed to help participants strengthen their personal well-being and cultivate happiness\u2014two indispensable components of a fulfilling life. During this interactive session, attendees will explore how principles of well-being can enhance wellness in personal, group, and professional settings. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123399],"tags":[123438],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-you-can-use","tag-campus-recreation"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":651,"date":"2026-06-10T21:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=651"},"modified":"2026-06-11T07:14:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:14:50","slug":"staff-senate-newsletter-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/staff-senate-newsletter-june-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Senate Newsletter: June 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In today&#8217;s newsletter, Staff Senate President Victoria Perry welcomes a new season of change and the new President of Clemson Univeristy, Dr. Guskiewicz. Plus, an introduction to the Extension Senate from their President Charley Maxwell, an upcoming Entrepreneurship Camp for high school students, this month&#8217;s Clemson Champion, Ombuds report and more!<br><br>Join us Thursday, June 11 at 2:30PM in the Watt Center room 106 or virtually\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511<\/a>) for the June Staff Senate meeting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8ISKG6UANN\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/letter-from-the-president-june-2026\/\">Letter from the President, June 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Letter from the President, June 2026&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/letter-from-the-president-june-2026\/embed\/#?secret=lZqaSS82YW#?secret=8ISKG6UANN\" data-secret=\"8ISKG6UANN\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"edsUJ7iQ8P\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/46-counties-one-clemson-meet-extension-and-extension-senate\/\">46 Counties, One Clemson: Meet Extension and Extension Senate<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;46 Counties, One Clemson: Meet Extension and Extension Senate&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/46-counties-one-clemson-meet-extension-and-extension-senate\/embed\/#?secret=xf8N0mOxr6#?secret=edsUJ7iQ8P\" data-secret=\"edsUJ7iQ8P\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"qzfWqdGCSU\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/09\/meet-candice-heatherly-clemson-champion\/\">Meet Candice Heatherly- Clemson Champion<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Meet Candice Heatherly- Clemson Champion&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/09\/meet-candice-heatherly-clemson-champion\/embed\/#?secret=eaOJa0joc1#?secret=qzfWqdGCSU\" data-secret=\"qzfWqdGCSU\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"CvxM3QAoOG\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/09\/the-dark-side-of-impartiality\/\">The Dark Side of Impartiality<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;The Dark Side of Impartiality&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/09\/the-dark-side-of-impartiality\/embed\/#?secret=DzcccEhqmn#?secret=CvxM3QAoOG\" data-secret=\"CvxM3QAoOG\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"yscFrFwdCn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/04\/high-school-entrepreneurship-camp-in-july\/\">High School Entrepreneurship Camp in July<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;High School Entrepreneurship Camp in July&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/04\/high-school-entrepreneurship-camp-in-july\/embed\/#?secret=wEZai4aHZm#?secret=yscFrFwdCn\" data-secret=\"yscFrFwdCn\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"SnP34bF3rd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/04\/summer-hours-at-the-gym-a-great-time-for-faculty-and-staff-to-recharge\/\">Summer Hours at the Gym: A Great Time for Faculty and Staff to Recharge<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Summer Hours at the Gym: A Great Time for Faculty and Staff to Recharge&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/04\/summer-hours-at-the-gym-a-great-time-for-faculty-and-staff-to-recharge\/embed\/#?secret=vflDihfwiY#?secret=SnP34bF3rd\" data-secret=\"SnP34bF3rd\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-clemson-university-staff-senate wp-block-embed-clemson-university-staff-senate\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"mCyTOt21mt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/05\/considering-a-mba-now-is-the-time\/\">Considering a MBA? Now is the Time.<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Considering a MBA? Now is the Time.&#8221; &#8212; Clemson University Staff Senate\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/05\/considering-a-mba-now-is-the-time\/embed\/#?secret=61ScmGCxpj#?secret=mCyTOt21mt\" data-secret=\"mCyTOt21mt\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today&#8217;s newsletter, Staff Senate President Victoria Perry welcomes a new season of change and the new President of Clemson Univeristy, Dr. Guskiewicz. Plus, an introduction to the Extension Senate from their President Charley Maxwell, an upcoming Entrepreneurship Camp for high school students, this month&#8217;s Clemson Champion, Ombuds report and more! Join us Thursday, June [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":649,"date":"2026-06-10T21:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=649"},"modified":"2026-06-10T21:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:22:10","slug":"46-counties-one-clemson-meet-extension-and-extension-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/46-counties-one-clemson-meet-extension-and-extension-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"46 Counties, One Clemson: Meet Extension and Extension Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"221\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1024x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1024x221.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-300x65.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-768x166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-1536x332.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/Level3_ExtensionSenate_RGB_Level3_ExtensionSenate_OrangePurple_RGB-2048x443.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You are likely familiar with the fact that Clemson University is one of two land-grant institutions in South Carolina. As part of that land-grant mission, Clemson Extension brings research-based education and resources directly to communities across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service brings the University to the community through offices in every county and research stations throughout the state. Extension funding differs somewhat from other areas of the University, with an additional budget line item in the state budget through Clemson Public Service and Agriculture (PSA). PSA delivers impartial, science-based information through research, outreach, and regulatory programs designed to improve the quality of life in South Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Extension staff serve on one or more of the 11 program teams: 4-H Youth Development, Agribusiness, Agriculture Education, Agronomic Crops, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Food Systems and Safety, Forestry and Wildlife, Horticulture, Livestock and Forages, Rural Health and Nutrition, and Water Resources. Extension Agents, Associates, and Specialists determine local needs and develop educational programming and resources to address those needs. Our county offices send various types of samples to on-campus labs for identification and analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because Extension employees work across South Carolina, have unique position classifications, and serve communities through educational programming and outreach, Extension staff established the Extension Senate to address issues specific to our roles and responsibilities. We greatly value our partnership with the Clemson Staff Senate, which helps ensure Extension remains connected to the broader University community. Extension employees frequently collaborate with faculty and staff across Clemson on research, education, and outreach initiatives. To learn more about Clemson Extension, our programs, and the people who serve South Carolina communities every day, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/extension\/\">website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are excited to welcome a regular contribution to the Staff Senate Newsletter from the Extension Senate President, Charley Maxwell. Visit the Extension Senate blog at <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/ces\/\">https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/ces\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You are likely familiar with the fact that Clemson University is one of two land-grant institutions in South Carolina. As part of that land-grant mission, Clemson Extension brings research-based education and resources directly to communities across the state. Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service brings the University to the community through offices in every county and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123399],"tags":[123451],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-you-can-use","tag-extension-senate"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":646,"date":"2026-06-10T13:16:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=646"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:56:29","slug":"letter-from-the-president-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/06\/10\/letter-from-the-president-june-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter from the President, June 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"693\" height=\"693\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry.jpg 693w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-VPerry-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 693px) 100vw, 693px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">2026-2027 Staff Senate President Victoria Perry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear&nbsp;Clemson Staff,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;stepped into my role as Staff Senate President,&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;been reflecting on just how much happens across our campuses&nbsp;each semester and how much of it is made possible because of you. Even as we move into the summer months, that important work continues, often in new and evolving ways.&nbsp;While change can sometimes feel uncertain, it also creates opportunities for growth, innovation, and renewed energy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As President John F. Kennedy once said,&nbsp;<em>\u201cChange is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;This sentiment feels especially relevant as we navigate several important developments together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most significant changes on the horizon is the transition to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/workday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Workday<\/a>. This is a major step forward in how we manage and support many of our essential processes,&nbsp;from HR to finance and beyond. While transitions like this can come with a learning curve, they also pave the way for more streamlined systems, improved access to information, and enhanced efficiency in our day-to-day work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we move through this implementation together, I encourage you to&nbsp;be aware of upcoming&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/workday\/about\/cutover.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cutover deadlines<\/a>&nbsp;and to&nbsp;take advantage of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/workday\/training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available&nbsp;trainings<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/workday\/get-help\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local&nbsp;resource&nbsp;groups<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/app.smartsheet.com\/b\/form\/2a5ccbfe818f4fe4b75038e08ab8ba41\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ask questions<\/a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;most importantly,&nbsp;support one another. Change is always easier when we approach it as a community, and&nbsp;I am confident in our collective ability to adapt and succeed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are also entering a new chapter in our university\u2019s story with the announcement of our new university president,&nbsp;Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D.,&nbsp;who will become Clemson\u2019s 16th&nbsp;president.&nbsp;As staff, we play a vital role in supporting this transition and helping to shape the culture and direction of the university moving forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Guskiewicz brings a strong&nbsp;track record&nbsp;of collaborative, people-first leadership. At his&nbsp;previous&nbsp;institutions, he made a point to listen deeply, meeting with teams across campus to understand their experiences and help shape a shared path forward. He is also widely recognized for his commitment to student success, access, and connecting the work of the university to the broader community.&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;excited about the perspective and energy he brings, and I look forward to seeing how we, as staff, can help support his vision and continue building a strong and connected Clemson community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moments of change remind us of the strength and resilience within our&nbsp;Clemson&nbsp;community. Every day,&nbsp;Clemson&nbsp;staff across&nbsp;the state&nbsp;contribute to the foundation that allows our&nbsp;staff,&nbsp;students,&nbsp;and faculty to thrive. That work&nbsp;remains&nbsp;constant,&nbsp;even as systems, leadership, and strategies evolve.&nbsp;In the months ahead,&nbsp;Staff&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;remains&nbsp;committed to listening, advocating, and supporting you through these transitions.&nbsp;Your voices matter, and we will continue working to ensure they are heard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As always, we invite you to stay engaged with Staff Senate and join us at our upcoming meeting&nbsp;featuring&nbsp;Blake Robinson&nbsp;speaking about Clemson\u2019s Ergonomics program, Kristing Lawson with&nbsp;updates on Workday,&nbsp;and&nbsp;a message from&nbsp;Sr.&nbsp;VP for Finance and Operations and CFO&nbsp;Rick Petillo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Date:<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>Thursday, June 11<\/em>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Time:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>2:30 p.m.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Location\/Link:&nbsp;<\/strong>In&nbsp;person: Watt 106, Virtually: https:\/\/clemson.zoom.us\/j\/98701587511&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for your continued dedication and for the&nbsp;important role&nbsp;you play during times of change. Together, we will navigate these transitions and continue to make our university a place where&nbsp;we&nbsp;can all&nbsp;succeed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wishing you a productive and positive month ahead!&nbsp;<br><strong>Victoria Perry<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Staff Senate President&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear&nbsp;Clemson Staff,&nbsp; As&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;stepped into my role as Staff Senate President,&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;been reflecting on just how much happens across our campuses&nbsp;each semester and how much of it is made possible because of you. Even as we move into the summer months, that important work continues, often in new and evolving ways.&nbsp;While change can sometimes feel uncertain, it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123398],"tags":[123428],"coauthors":[123434],"class_list":["post-646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-staff-senate-news","tag-presidents-report"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]