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Year in review: A look back at some of Clemson’s key moments and most memorable milestones of 2024

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From athletic feats and astronomical anomalies to national accolades and transformational gifts, this year marked one of growth, celebration and ample momentum for the New Year. 

January 12, 2024

The Clemson women's gymnastics team is gathered in orange sweatsuits for a group photo on a purple carpeted gym floor.

The Clemson Gymnastics program began its inaugural season in front of 8,018 fans on a historic evening inside Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers defeated William & Mary, 196.325-190.050, to vault the program into competitive existence.

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February 13, 2024

Family and friends of Clemson University President Jim Clements and First Lady Beth Clements surprised them with the announcement of a pair of endowments, together worth more than $1.4 million, created in their honor during an event on January 26, celebrating the University’s decade of success.

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February 28, 2024

The top of the South Carolina state Capitol shows the orange Clemson flag with white Tiger Paw flying below the U.S. and South Carolina state flags. Bare tree tops and a blue sky are in the background.

South Carolina’s Capitol displayed a distinctly different look Wednesday, February 28, during the annual observation of “Clemson Day.” With the Clemson flag flying underneath the American flag and South Carolina flag atop the State House, the Tigers took over downtown Columbia for several hours to celebrate the University’s contributions over the past year.

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March 28, 2024

Clemson basketball players Chase Hunter and JP Hall are pictured on the basketball court near the sideline.

Chase Hunter’s three-point play with 25 seconds remaining put the Tigers up five and helped hold off a late run by No. 2 seed Arizona (27-10), as No. 6 seed Clemson prevailed 77-72 inside the Crypto.com Arena to advance to the second NCAA Elite Eight in program history. 

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April 8, 2024

The inside of a pair of eclipse-viewing safety glasses shows the beginning of a solar eclipse in the shape of a yellow crescent.
Students, alumni, faculty and staff paused what they were doing and stepped outside to witness the 2024 solar eclipse on Bowman Field, April 8, 2024. Unlike the 2017 eclipse in which Clemson was in the middle of the totality, the moon covered about 80 percent of the sun this time., casting the campus into an otherworldly shadow.

A partial solar eclipse came to Clemson, and the Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted a viewing event with fun and educational activities. The partial eclipse blocked 80% of the sun, passing through Clemson just after 3 p.m. A partial eclipse is not the same dramatic experience as a total eclipse, which the Upstate experienced in 2017, but it still offered an interesting viewing experience of an uncommon phenomenon. The next total solar eclipse that will pass over the continental United States will be in 2044.

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April 12, 2024

Recognized for her commitment to raising accessibility awareness and ambition to influence health care policy related to her rare disease research, Elizabeth Caldwell, a National Scholar and third-year genetics major, was named a Truman Scholar. She is Clemson’s fourth Truman Scholar since 2017 and the University’s fifth recipient in 42 years.

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April 29, 2024

Clemson University and NASA’s Johnson Space Center signed a Space Act Agreement that opens the door to unique research and education opportunities aimed at advancing space exploration.

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August 9, 2024

After receiving a record number of undergraduate applications in an increasingly competitive admissions cycle, Clemson University welcomed a first-year class of around 5,031 students to Tigertown.

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August 13, 2024

Deep Orange 15, will be on display in the FutureTech Studio at the SEMA Show along with other groundbreaking displays of current, and future, evolving automotive vehicle technology.

Clemson University unveiled its latest groundbreaking autonomous rescue vehicle, Deep Orange 15, on August 13 at the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS) in Novi, Michigan. Deep Orange 15, an advanced, high-speed, off-road, semi-autonomous search-and-rescue vehicle, is equipped with semi-active suspension, an innovative litter-loading mechanism, a high-voltage battery, a rotating passenger seat to assist victims and a series hybrid powertrain.

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September 19, 2024

Clemson’s first-ever recipient of a master’s degree, Patrick Henry Hobson 1924, M 1924 was an early, unassuming, force in the life of the school. Hobson was raised as one of eight children on a patch of land in Sandy Springs, South Carolina. But his educational pursuits a century ago were significant. His graduate degree marked the first-ever conferred by Clemson University. In recognition, his family was honored during the Land Grant Appreciation Day football game in September 2024. 

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October 9, 2024 

A group of nine young people carry a tarp full of leaves and sticks through a grassy lawn.
Students with Clemson’s Block and Bridle club clear debris from a yard in Clemson after Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction through the Upstate of South Carolina, and when the winds and rains stopped after the storm, groups of Clemson students, faculty and staff, many facing their own powerless or damaged homes, rallied behind the communities impacted and mobilized resources to help their neighbors.

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October 18, 2024: Clemson University’s Board of Trustees approved a five-year contract extension for President Jim Clements during its Fall 2024 Quarterly Meeting.

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October 21, 2024

Woman wearing white lab coat looks at a computer in a lab

Trudy Mackay is named Clemson University’s first-ever member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

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October 22, 2024

A group of men and women wearing orange and white gather on a football field with a yellow goal post in the background.

With a transformational gift of $25 million to Clemson University, Dave and Lynette Snow positioned the newly named Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism to become the model program in America focused on the moral principles of capitalism. Their lead gift enables the Institute to chart a 10-year vision for expansion of current programming and the creation of new projects.

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November 18, 2024

American flags, each representing a Clemson faculty, staff or student veteran, ring a Tiger Paw painted on Bowman Field in front of Tillman Hall as part of Military Appreciation Week.

To honor Clemson’s deep military roots, as well as the decades of service and involvement that have followed, the University hosted its annual Military Appreciation Week from Monday, Nov. 18 to Saturday, Nov. 23. A variety of engaging events and activities were scheduled throughout the week on campus, concluding on Saturday afternoon with Clemson’s home football game against The Citadel. Clemson also was named to the “Best for Vets: 2024 Colleges,” and the University earned a certificate of silver grade for Clemson’s Military Academic Program. In 2024, Clemson was ranked No. 7 nationally among Tier 1 research institutions as a Military Friendly® School and Military Spouse Friendly® School this spring.

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November 22, 2024

Rendering of the Clemson University College of Veterinary Medicine

Clemson University officials and state leaders broke ground Friday, November 22, on the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, marking a historic moment for Clemson University and the state of South Carolina as the only college of veterinary medicine in the state continues to take shape.

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November 23, 2024

There generations of a family (Nieri) standing on steps leading to a wide porch of a large house. Two parents, three children and their spouses and five grandchildren (from a baby to elementary school ages).

Longtime University friends, Michael ’86 and Robyn Nieri HA ’20 along with their children and spouses Pennington ’15 and wife Katie ’15; daughter Maigan ’18 and husband Rob Lincks; son Patrick ’19 and wife Jessica ’19, pledged $12.5 million for the Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center. The center is scheduled to open in spring 2025 on the shores of Lake Hartwell and features 98,000 square feet over five floors with two unique event spaces. It will replace the current Alumni Center on Daniel Drive, which has been the Alumni Association’s home for nearly 50 years.

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December 8, 2024

Freshman placekicker and Charlotte-area native Nolan Hauser made a 56-yard field goal as time expired to claim the ACC Football Championship for No. 17 Clemson, 34-31, over No. 8 SMU at Bank of America Stadium. Clemson claimed its eighth conference championship in the past 10 seasons and became the first program to win 22 ACC titles. The win earned Clemson a berth in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

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