Former S.C. governor David Beasley to provide public lecture during CBSHS alumni and keynote speaker series

David Beasley, former South Carolina governor and former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), will deliver a keynote lecture for the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS) during its month-long speaker series in celebration of the Clemson University Graduate School’s centennial year.

The CBSHS Alumni Speaker Series and Keynote Lecture: Transforming Lives Statewide and Beyond will be hosted throughout October and feature alumni from each of the College’s seven academic departments.

On Wednesday, October 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Beasley will deliver a public lecture – Global Order: War, Conflict, Stability and the Nobel Peace Prize – in the Watt Family Innovation Center auditorium.

During his tenure as governor of South Carolina – from 1995 to 1999 – Beasley guided the state through years of economic transformation, helping to reshape the state’s economy into a healthy, robust market.

Subsequently, before joining the United Nations World Food Programme, he spent more than a decade working with high profile leaders and WFP programme managers in more than 100 countries, directing projects designed to foster peace, reconciliation and economic progress in troubled regions.

In his role as thirteenth executive director of the WFP, Beasley harnessed decades of leadership and communication skills to mobilize record amounts of financial support, along with public awareness and engagement in the global fight against hunger.

These contributions were recognized when the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded WFP the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to improve conditions in conflict-affected regions and to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.

Additionally, Beasley drove focus and attention to WFP’s work beyond emergency food assistance, highlighting how long-term development could help bring peace and stability to troubled regions worldwide.

“We are honored to have former governor Beasley join us on October 9 to share his career-long experience and knowledge with the Clemson community,” said Leslie Hossfeld, dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. “Governor Beasley embodies our mission to build people and communities and his global efforts to reduce hunger and improve economic stability have made a positive difference in the lives of countless individuals across South Carolina, the nation and world.”

In each of the departmental events, alumni will share how graduate education has shaped their lives, personally and professionally. The speaker series serves as an opportunity to honor current and former graduate students during a milestone year in the Graduate School’s history and showcase how CBSHS is transforming lives statewide and beyond through impactful graduate student education.

The College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS) was established in July 2016. CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.