The Emeritus College welcomed 28 new emeriti and 25 specially ranked retired faculty, presented the Distinguished Emeritus Award and inducted five fellows at its April 26 Emeritus Day and Recognition Ceremony.
President Jim Clements and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Bob Jones recognized the new emeriti, who represent all seven colleges and 21 departments.
The keynote speaker was Tony Wagner, executive vice president for Finance and Operations.
The Emeritus College presented the Kenelly-Voss Distinguished Emeritus Award to Elaine Richardson, Professor Emerita of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, who was the first director of the Academic Success Center.
The late John Kenelly established the award to recognize emeritus faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the Emeritus College, Clemson University, the community and society. The award provides $500 toward a donation to a university program of interest to the recipient.
Richardson is the chair of the Undergraduate Committee of the Emeritus College and has developed ongoing relationships with campus leaders, hosted panel discussions between transfer students and emeriti faculty. She is spearheading a task force to examine how the emeritus faculty can support statewide programs such as Inside/Out and second-chance programs offered by the South Carolina technical college system, Furman and Southern Wesleyan University.
Five emeriti received the I. Dwayne Eubanks Fellow Award, which honors faculty who steadily render valuable service to the Emeritus College and to Clemson University without compensation. The award is named in honor of I. Dwayne Eubanks, former executive director of the Emeritus College.
The five fellows elected for 2022 are:
- Victoria Ridgeway Gillis, Professor Emerita of Literacy and Learning and director of the Center for Excellence in Literacy and Learning. Gillis provides insight and problem-solving skills that contribute to the ongoing operations and successful programming of the Emeritus College. As the chair of the Emeritus College 20th Anniversary Task Force, she is leading the effort to create a collection of essays by emeritus faculty: Moments and Memories of Clemson University Faculty. Gillis also serves on the Emeritus College Advisory Board; has contributed to the programming of the Emeritus College with several presentations on reading and literacy issues and the Quilts of Valor Foundation. During the Emeritus Day ceremony, Gillis presented a quilt based on the framework of the Quilts of Valor to the Emeritus College to be displayed in the College.
- Donald McKale, Professor Emeritus of History, has served on the Emeritus College Advisory Board, which he chaired in 2019-2020. He also served on the Executive Director Search Committee and Program Planning committee. McKale is an active member of the Clemson Sertoma Club, serving as Board Chair, and works with the annual Christmas Tree sales project that supports Camp Hope, providing life-changing opportunities for children with hearing disabilities.
- Marty Duckenfield serves on the Emeritus College Advisory Board and is a member of the Program Committee and the task force for the 20th anniversary of the Emeritus College. As an outreach of the planning committee, she identified and promoted special interest groups for emeriti. She leads the Memoir Writing group for the Emeritus College, which led to the 20th anniversary project. The Christopher J. Duckenfield Scholarship Program, funded by Duckenfield and her family, sends two students each year to St. Peter’s College in Oxford, England.
- Michael Ellison, Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering, serves on the Emeritus College Advisory Board and the Awards Committee. He is known for his strong commitment to interdisciplinary research, promoting and encouraging programs and activities that engage faculty from across disciplines, which is a primary goal of the Emeritus College.
- Robert Hogan, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, served as associate chair of the School of Architecture, director of Undergraduate Studies and acting associate dean of the college prior to his retirement in 2015. He serves on the Emeritus College Advisory Board and is chair of the Awards Committee. Hogan is the faculty adviser for the student chapter of Habitat for Humanity Homecoming Build, having been involved with the project for almost 30 years. He also serves as an adviser for the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.