Snow family donates $25M as the Institute for the Study of Capitalism celebrates 20 years
In 2005, the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism began its noble mission of exploring the moral foundations of a free society established by our Founding Fathers. By 2014, the Institute’s flagship Lyceum Scholars Program was established, preparing tomorrow’s leaders through an innovative Great Books approach to explore these moral foundations and the vital role capitalism plays in advancing a free, just and virtuous society. Clemson is the only public university in the country with a program of this kind that directly addresses and promotes the nation’s founding principles through education and research.
The talented students who participate in the Lyceum Program, whether as Scholars or Fellows, are among Clemson’s finest, consistently achieving distinctions and recognition beyond the program itself. On campus, they represent Clemson’s civic-focused student leaders, poised to become future leaders out in the world. Demand for the program is among the nation’s most competitive. In the past decade, the number of applicants has increased from 192 to more than 1,000 per year for the 10 available slots.
That all changed last year with a transformational $25 million gift from Dave Snow HA ’22 and Lynette Snow HA ’22, charting a 10-year vision for the renamed Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism and creating an immediate impact by doubling the Lyceum Scholars Program from 40 to 80 scholars.
“When I look around at fellow Lyceum Scholars, I see future leaders, innovators and powerful catalysts for change.”
Claire Woynerowski ’26
“Our goal with this gift is to elevate the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism so that more students can make an impact on our world,” Dave said. “Our country — and our world — needs the kind of critical thinking that the Institute offers its amazing students now more than ever.”
One of those amazing students is Claire Woynerowski ’26, an economics major on a prelaw track from Annapolis, Maryland. Woynerowski balances her rigorous academic load with being active in her sorority and performing in the drumline with Tiger Band. But she has found purpose through the Snow Institute’s Lyceum Scholars Program.
“I’ve learned that true empowerment comes from finding your voice and using it to make a difference. When I look around at fellow Lyceum Scholars, I see future leaders, innovators and powerful catalysts for change,” she said. “We’re encouraged to think deeply, to challenge assumptions and to grow — not just as students but as individuals determined to make a difference. And it’s working! This program has produced Supreme Court clerks, Fulbright Scholars and even Clemson’s first Rhodes Scholar.”
In addition to allowing for the first doubling of the Lyceum Scholars Program, their gift also doubles the amount of the scholarship from $2,500 to $5,000. The Snows’ vision for the future of the Institute is for their gift to be a catalyst for even more growth. Their $25 million gift is part of an ambitious $100 million goal. Once achieved, those dollars will have tripled the Scholars program. It also will significantly expand the Lyceum Fellows program. And the fundraising goal will launch the American Founding Project, the country’s first and only academic program dedicated to the understanding of the history, principles and institutions of the American founding, and expand Capitalism Unleashed, a program dedicated to the moral underpinnings of capitalism within the world.
