Dear Clemson Family,
As we start our first full week of the new academic year, our campuses are once again filled with the energy and excitement a new semester brings.
It has been wonderful to welcome so many of our Tigers to Clemson during events like move-in, New Student Convocation and our Welcome Back Festival – just to name a few. It was also amazing to see so many of our Tiger fans at Historic Riggs Field on Thursday, as we unveiled our 2023 National Champions sign for our men’s soccer team before their first home match against Penn State.
To our students, no matter where you are this semester – on the main campus, at one of our innovation campuses, completing a Co-Op or internship, or studying abroad – I challenge you to be ALL IN for Clemson. Study hard, work hard, wear your orange on Fridays, and enjoy every minute of your student experience.
Faculty and staff, thank you for all you do for our students and for Clemson University. Your work – in research, teaching, and service – continues to elevate Clemson to new heights. Because of your commitment and dedication to our land-grant mission, we are making a significant impact in the lives of people across the state of South Carolina and beyond.
And to our alumni and friends, thank you for staying connected to and invested in Clemson. The value of the Tiger Paw has never been higher and that is thanks in large part to your continued engagement with our great University. Thank you for sharing your Clemson stories with the world, for volunteering your time and talents, and for creating an even brighter Clemson for future Tigers.
Since my last update in May, we have also celebrated several wonderful events that I want to take a moment to share with you. At our August Commencement, we awarded a total of 1,023 degrees, continued our celebration of 100 years of graduate education at Clemson University, and awarded two honorary posthumous doctoral degrees in education to Rev. Joseph A. De Laine Sr. and Mattie Belton De Laine.
This summer, our Board of Trustees approved the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and multiple facilities projects, and last week, Chair Kim Wilkerson shared our first-ever BOT annual report, highlighting some of the amazing accomplishments we achieved over the past year.
We also announced our new Vice President for Student Affairs, Doug Hallenbeck and our new Associate Vice President for Public Safety, Kimberly Spears-McNatt. We are thrilled to welcome these two outstanding leaders to campus this fall.
This is an exciting time to be a part of Clemson University. Together, we are elevating our mission of teaching, research and service, and we are positively impacting the lives of our Tigers for generations to come.
Best wishes for an incredible semester and academic year.
Go Tigers!