Dear Tigers,
I am excited to welcome you to the start of a new academic year. I have loved seeing many of you on our main campus over the past week and have enjoyed spending time with you at events such as move-in, graduate student and new student convocation, the President’s Cookout, our 40th annual Welcome Back Festival in downtown Clemson and our new students’ class photo in Death Valley.
Today is the second day of the semester, and I hope you are excited for your classes and all the new learning, research and engagement opportunities this year will bring. I encourage you to engage with your professors, attend classes, ask questions, make new friends, seek new opportunities and always continue your pursuit of excellence. And remember why you are here – to get a world-class education.
As a student at one of the top-ranked public universities (and in my opinion, the best university) in the country, you have many opportunities to get involved across campus – from engaging in experiential learning to participating in student organizations. Find something that interests you and that builds on your sense of community and provides a pathway for you to be connected. We want you to be ALL IN.
We have a lot of great things to share with you during our first-ever Weeks of Welcome, which I hope you will take advantage of – these events and activities are for you and help us provide you with the No. 1 student experience in the country. I am also looking forward to seeing many of you at our First Friday Parade next week and at our first home football game of the season against LSU on Saturday, August 30. Remember to wear your orange, cheer our Tigers to victory and treat all of our guests with respect and hospitality.
If you see me on campus, please say hello and tell me about your time at Clemson. You make Clemson the amazing place it is, and I am grateful that you are a part of the Clemson Family.
The value of the Tiger Paw has never been higher, and I know that together we will continue to move Clemson Fiercely Forward.
Let’s have a safe, successful and wonderful semester.
Go Tigers!
President Jim Clements