I sat down to write my June reflection heading into Memorial Day weekend. I am always humbled by those who give themselves in service to others. My husband, Treb, served for 22 years as a JAG Officer in the U.S. Army. As a military family, Memorial Day weekend is especially poignant for us. We’ve lost friends and colleagues over Treb’s 22 years of service. My son’s best friend lost his father. Service and sacrifice often go hand in hand. And as we head into June, I hope you recognize that service and sacrifice are not just a one-day-a-year remembrance, but rather something that shapes all our lives.
You may be wondering why I share that with you this month. I share a bit of Memorial Day reflection, because this May, we launched the Well-Being Council to advance our goals to support Clemson Elevate with an understanding that staff, student, faculty and community well-being is foundational to the success of our university’s goals. The council is made up of individuals who showed up from a place of service and sacrifice of their time, expertise and passion make Clemson a better place. I want to recognize those individuals, because sometimes, raising your hand to lead change is one of the hardest things to do.
One of the major tenets of Institutional Excellence is to access and lead change. For me, leading change means entering into sometimes difficult discussions about where we are and where we want to be as an organization. Although those conversations can be difficult, they also can be empowering, as they begin the dialogue on where we want to go. During our discussions at the first council meeting, we discussed expectations for our time together. The resulting themes included:
- Individual perspectives coming together to create a strong whole.
- Personal connection to our mission.
- Concepts of relationship building, community and sense of belonging.
- Investing NOW for the future.
- Ensuring inclusion.
- Thinking about how nature is a healing force.
- Bring back hope and positive energy.
- Innovation and creative interpretations of well-being.
- Interdependence: working together for a common goal.
- Strategic and multidisciplinary collaboration towards health and well-being goals.
Clearly, this group sees the value of a whole community/whole individual approach to well-being at Clemson. They are committed to collaborating and thinking outside the box. They see the dynamic relationship between person, community, nature, and inclusion related to that sense of thriving. And they are eager. There was so much positive energy in the room. And while the conversation was largely aspirational, they know in June we’ll be getting into the sausage making of wellness to unpack the data, the landscape, the key stakeholders and understand the environment that will shape our strategic priorities.
With all that said, I want to close with the list of folks who are currently representing our community at the table and send a huge shout of thanks out to them. One member described their feelings after our first get together as “skited,” meaning she felt both scared and excited at the same time. We were digesting a lot and recognize there is a long way to go to get to where we want. If you know any of these individuals, first give them a hug and a message of thanks for their commitment to our institution. Then, don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and dreams for making Clemson better. They will continue to represent our diverse community and help build the roadmap for the future.
With so much gratitude and thanks,
Anna
| Denise Anderson | Academic Affairs | College of Behavioral, Social & Health Sciences Dean’s Office |
| Kelly Bardusk | Student Affairs | Campus Recreation |
| Amit Bein | Academic Affairs | History & Geography |
| Jennifer Blyden | Academic Affairs | College of Science |
| Tessa Byer | Academic Affairs | University Ombudsman |
| Shelby Carroll | Academic Affairs | University Libraries |
| Marieke Chancellor | Academic Affairs | Graduate School Dean’s Office |
| Chris Cox | Student Affairs | Campus Recreation |
| Holly Duncan | Marketing & Communications | MarCom Operations |
| Leasa Evinger | Student Affairs | Residential Living |
| Chris Fiocchi | Student Affairs | Strategic Initiatives & Assessment |
| Dave Frock | Student Affairs | Campus Recreation |
| Birma Gainor | Student Affairs | Counseling & Psychological Services |
| Kara Geantasio | Student | Intern |
| Jennifer Goree | Student Affairs | Healthy Campus |
| Robert Halfacre | Guest | City of Clemson |
| Jennifer Hall | Academic Affairs | College of Education Dean’s Office |
| Kathy Hobgood | Finance & Operations | Auxiliary Enterprises |
| Jennifer Holland | Academic Affairs | Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice |
| Natalie Honnen | Athletics | Athletic Administration |
| Jairad Hydrick | Student Affairs | Office of Advocacy & Success |
| Ale Kennedy | Finance & Operations | Office of Human Resources |
| Caitlin Kickham | Academic Affairs | Clemson Rural Health |
| Jordy Kirr | Athletics | Athletic Administration |
| Amy Lawton-Rauh | Academic Affairs | Office of the Provost |
| Rhonda Matthews | Academic Affairs | Clemson Extension: Greenwood County |
| Stacey Miller | Academic Affairs | Animal & Veterinary Sciences |
| Greg Mullen | Finance & Operations | Public Safety |
| Winifred Newman | Academic Affairs | School of Architecture |
| Lesslie Pekarek | Student Affairs | Student Health Services |
| Eric Pernotto | Academic Affairs | Honors College |
| Kimberly Poole | Student Affairs | Dean of Students Office |
| Philip Sikes | Marketing & Communications | Strategic Communications |
| George Smith | Student Affairs | Vice President’s Office |
| Melissa Smith | Academic Affairs | Electrical & Computer Engineering |
| Timothy Stanfield | Community, Engagement, Belonging & Access | Gantt Multicultural Center |
| Helen Steele | Academic Affairs | Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business |
| Patricia Whitener | Academic Affairs | College of Agriculture, Forestry & Life Sciences: 4-H Youth Development |
| Sue Whorton | Academic Affairs | Office of Undergraduate Studies |
| Nicki Wise | Academic Affairs | College of Veterinary Medicine Dean’s Office |