Greetings Clemson Family,
I hope this new year and semester has started off well for each of you. Clemson’s future is incredibly vibrant and exciting. I want to take a few moments to share some updates with you. Earlier this month, our Board of Trustees held their winter quarterly meeting at our Innovation Campus in North Charleston, where approvals were given for a new academic center focused on Human-AI interaction, degree changes and multiple facility updates. Our Board also received an update on our new strategic plan, Clemson Elevate. We have faculty and staff across our campuses and across disciplines engaged in various aspects of this strategic plan, and the work taking place will continue to broaden Clemson’s national reputation.
Since my last update, we graduated nearly 2,000 students in our December commencement ceremonies, bringing the total number of living alumni to more than 182,000.
In early January, I visited with some of our incredible alumni in Texas and I want to thank the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston Clemson Clubs for hosting these events. We had a wonderful time together and I look forward to continuing to meet with our Alumni groups across the nation.
We also honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a week of events celebrating his life and teachings, including our 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Keynote Program, where more than 1,100 faculty, staff, students and community members attended either in person or virtually.
A few weeks ago, I joined Governor Henry McMaster, House Speaker Murrell Smith, President of the South Carolina Senate Thomas Alexander, the University of South Carolina President and South Carolina Technical College System President as we signed a Statewide Transfer Agreement.
In athletics, our Tigers continue to dominate both in the ACC and on the national stage. Over winter break, our football team took on the Kentucky Wildcats in the Gator Bowl and secured a win to end their season on a high note. Our gymnastics team began their inaugural season with a packed house in Littlejohn Coliseum this January, posting the highest inaugural meet score in the history of gymnastics across the country.
We held the ribbon cutting for our new sports complex, which is home to our lacrosse and gymnastics facilities, an updated rowing center, and the Athlete Recovery Center. We also celebrated our Men’s Soccer National Champions with a parade on the main campus, where hundreds of Tiger fans lined the street to congratulate the team, coaches and support staff. These are just a few examples of our student-athletes’ incredible achievements and our Clemson Family’s support.
I am excited to see how our Tigers will continue elevating Clemson University and I look forward to seeing you all on our beautiful campuses and in the community. I hope you have a wonderful Spring semester and thank you for all you do for Clemson University.
Go Tigers!