By Ryan Rogers
On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism held a recognition ceremony celebrating the achievements of the Lyceum Scholars Class of 2026.
Open to incoming first-year students of any major, the Lyceum Scholars Program uses a great books approach to studying the moral, political and economic foundations of a free society. All Lyceum Scholars receive a $60,000 scholarship disbursed over their four years at Clemson University. In exchange for this scholarship, Lyceum Scholars complete eight courses with Lyceum faculty, take part in Socratic Tutoring and attend various lectures and events.
This year’s graduating class brought together 14 Scholars and seven Lyceum Fellows, who once again set themselves apart by earning a range of academic and departmental honors. More than half of the graduates are headed to graduate school or law school.
Awards are as follows:
- Ellie Cucullu (Fellow): Marian L. Harris Award for Excellence in Economics
- Rachel Lynch (Scholar): Marian L. Harris Award for Excellence in Economics
- Bailee Tayles (Scholar): English Department Honor Key Medal
- Michael Hardy (Fellow), Madeline Leonard (Scholar): Phi Beta Kappa
- Brady Beddingfield (Scholar), Connor Crase (Scholar), Ellie Cucullu, Violette Franke (Scholar), Walker Green (Scholar), Madeline Leonard, Rachel Lynch, Dylan Odin (Scholar), Bailee Tayles, Claire Woynerowski (Scholar): Honors College General Honors
Beyond these honors, several senior Lyceum Scholars devoted significant efforts to publishing the fifth edition of The Aurantiaco, Clemson University’s first student-led humanities and social sciences journal. Anna Scott Nuttall (Scholar), Connor Crase, and Ellie Cucullu served as editors for this year’s edition, which also featured Madeline Leonard’s article, “Pecan Dissonance: A Clash Between Identity and Historic Reality.”
Lyceum graduates Max Breton (Fellow), Bailee Tayles, Hailey Herzog (Fellow) and Madeline Leonard also contributed to the Clemson Law Review, a student-edited journal dedicated to publishing high-quality legal scholarship on pressing topics. The Review features work of the highest caliber by judges, legal practitioners, policymakers, professors from any university and Clemson pre–law students.
Many Scholars will continue their education after graduation. Claire Woynerowski is bound for the University of Chicago Law School, while Rachel Lynch heads to the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason. Walker Green will study at the Law Center at Georgetown University, and Connor Crase has already begun his M.A. at Clemson University. Violette Franke and Dylan Odin will both attend USC’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law. Other graduates are entering the workforce in the private sector, as teachers or in the political sphere.
