Archive for year: 2013
The Headlines of the Barker Presidency
“A timeline is an easy way to capture the highlights of a period of time, in this case, the 14 years of Jim Barker’s presidency. It’s a harder thing to capture the essence of the time. And so as we celebrate the accomplishments of this period, we do so by remembering the Clemson World headlines of the times and the news that was reported.”
Winter 2000
A Clear Vision
Clemson’s new president, Jim Barker, takes office with a clear vision — to see Clemson in the top 20 national public universities in the country within the next 10 years.
The former dean of Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, Barker already knows much about the University — as student, professor and dean. A 1970 Clemson graduate, Barker returned to the University in 1986 to become dean of what was then the College of Architecture. He continued to teach classes throughout his tenure as dean.
Now as the University’s 14th president, Barker has begun a 10-year plan for Clemson to become one of the nation’s top universities.
“Our vision statement of becoming the leading land-grant university is a wonderful goal, but we need some intermediate steps to get there,” he says. “We also need time. I think it’s important that Clemson have some stability in our president’s office, some ability to know where we’re going for a longer period of time and maintain our focus on key issues. So I have articulated for the Board — and for the faculty, staff and students who were involved in my interviews — a 10-year vision.
“Very simply, Clemson will be in the top 20 of national public universities in the country at the end of that period, even sooner if possible. A great university is built in steps, and we’ll take some of these steps as quickly as we can.”
Right now, according to U.S.News & World Report, Clemson is tied for 38th. At the end of 10 years, Barker expects Clemson to:
- increase funded research to $100 million a year,
- see many of its individual programs ranked among the top 20,
- set the standard in public service for all land-grant universities by engaging the whole campus in service and outreach, by being well-focused and by becoming very good in those selected areas,
- complete the current capital campaign and a subsequent one, exceeding the goals of both and substantially growing the University’s private endowment,
- win another national championship in football (Tigers won in 1981) and two other sports, and reach the national “Final Four” twice in basketball, send another University Chorus group to perform at Carnegie Hall (Chamber Singers went in 1992),
- have a thriving Phi Beta Kappa chapter,
- have at least two students win Rhodes Scholarships,
- and, at the heart of all these endeavors, continue to excel in teaching.
Spring 2000
Stellar Students
Thirty outstanding high school seniors from across the country visited campus earlier this year as finalists in the new Clemson National Scholars program.
“Outstanding” may be an understatement. Their average SAT score is well over 1500, and they’re in the top 1 percent of their class. From this group, 10-12 students will be selected to receive full scholarships to the University and a summer of study in Italy as the first class of Clemson National Scholars.
Because of generous donors, the Clemson National Scholars endowment has reached $6 million and will eventually fund approximately 25 scholarships each year.
“This will be our premier scholarship program,” says President Jim Barker. “Without such a program, we simply can’t compete with the top scholarship offers made by other universities. To be a national university, we must have a national-caliber scholarship program.”
The Clemson National Scholars is an immediate and direct result of The Clemson Commitment capital campaign.
Summer 2001
President’s View: Decisive moment
Throughout history, Clemson has faced decisive moments that have shaped its future. In the 1950s, we shifted to a coed and civilian student body; in the 1960s, we desegregated and gained university status; in the 1990s, we underwent restructuring.
On June 20, 2001, another such decision was made. When the Board of Trustees enacted an unprecedented tuition increase, they ensured that we would provide the resources necessary to make Clemson one of the top-20 public universities in the nation.
Throughout the year, as we faced substantive issues about quality, funding and the direction of the University for the next 10 years, we followed a process that served us well: Our goals are non-negotiable. We would have an open, inclusive process. We would gather input from people affected by our decisions. We would debate all options, carefully considering the benefits and risks of each. We would act as One Clemson.
As Clemson alumni, students, faculty and staff well know, we have a goal to become one of the nation’s top-20 public universities, and we have a plan or a “road map” to help us achieve that goal.
We will build our research environment and improve South Carolina’s ability to attract knowledge-based industry. The value of a Clemson degree will be increased, making our graduates more competitive in the job market. More of our best students will remain in state for their education, no longer having to choose between a LIFE scholarship and top-tier education.
A recent poll shows that 9 out of 10 South Carolinians agree that the state should have a top-tier university. Yet Clemson is substantially underfunded, even with a 42 percent tuition hike. According to the Commission on Higher Education mission resource requirement, Clemson is funded at $68 million a year below what we need to operate. We are currently funded at 61 percent of the state’s formula compared to 68 percent for peer research institutions in South Carolina.
For the past five years, Clemson has had lower tuition increases and smaller growth in appropriations than other state institutions. When we compare per-student appropriations to those in Georgia, North Carolina and Florida, we are far behind.
The road map was charted with the understanding that we would need significant improvements in all funding areas. We believed that our goals were reasonable with modest improvements in five areas.
State appropriations: We assumed we would continue to see the modest increase of 2 to 3 percent that had been the norm the past five years. Instead of slight growth, however, we face a situation of flat funding for academic and operating needs, and declining resources for public service activities.
Tuition: For the past five years, tuition increases merely offset unfunded pay raises and other unfunded mandates. We knew we would need larger tuition increases than in recent years. On June 20, 2001, Trustees took a bold step enacting a substantial tuition increase that demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of a Clemson education.
External support: We would not place the entire burden of our plan on the state and students. Our plan calls for increase in external support generated through private gifts, grants and sponsored programs. Our faculty and staff have risen to the challenge. Last year, we had the most successful fund-raising year ever and the highest one-year increase in research funding ever.
Internal efficiencies: With limited resources, we knew we would have to look within and be willing to reallocate from current budgets to higher priorities. Our administrative costs are 7.3 percent of academic costs, the lowest in the state and well below similar universities elsewhere. Our general overhead cost per student is $100–$300 below the average of our peers and $200 less than it was two years ago. Each year, Clemson received the highest scores in the state for administrative efficiency. Yet we continue to look for ways to maximize efficiency and have recently restructured two academic colleges.
Accountability: We have a responsibility to tell students, parents, alumni, legislators and others how we are spending their money and show them what they are receiving in return. We have published and widely distributed our goals. We keep a continually updated Web site that reports on how we’re doing on each goal. We will continue to travel across the state talking with constituents about our plans and how we’re directing funds.
In all the areas within our control, we have delivered.
Fall 2001
Roaring into the Future
The numbers are in! Because of you — our loyal, enthusiastic, generous alumni and friends — The Clemson Commitment has blown away its goal of $260 million and recorded a huge victory for Clemson’s academic reputation.
The five-year campaign began (July 1, 1996) with these goals and ended (June 30, 2001) with these results:
- To raise at least $260 million in private gifts and pledges for Clemson programs. (The goal increased from $210 million to $260 million in February 2000.) The campaign closed with $295 million in gifts and pledges.
- To increase the percentage of alumni who make annual gifts to the Clemson Fund from 16 percent to at least 25 percent. Alumni participation in the Clemson Fund shot up to 26.6 percent.
- To increase annual gifts to the Clemson Fund from $20 million to at least $30 million. Annual gifts to the Clemson Fund hit $37.7 million in 2000-2001.
- To increase the University’s deferred gifts inventory (wills, trusts and other forms of documented future gifts) by at least $45 million. Deferred gifts established during the campaign totaled $76.5 million.
- To double the University’s endowment from $110 million to at least $220 million. The University’s endowment exceeded $250 million.
Fall 2002
BMW, Clemson and the state begin historic partnership
Clemson, BMW Manufacturing Corp. and S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges announced in late September a partnership to build an automotive engineering graduate education center in Upstate South Carolina. The center will provide research support and engineers with advanced degrees needed by BMW, its suppliers and the state’s growing automotive industry.
BMW has pledged $10 million to endow the academic programs, and the state will provide $25 million to construct and equip a state-of-the-art facility to house the graduate center.
“With the support of BMW and the state of South Carolina, we will be able to build a premier automotive engineering program center,” says Clemson President Jim Barker. “This partnership is a major step in Clemson’s quest to be a top-20 public university and in South Carolina’s drive to build a knowledge-based economy.”
Hodges called the collaboration “one of the finest examples of higher education, government, training and business working together for the benefit of all.”
Summer 2003
National Champions!
On May 30, in Stillwater, Okla., Clemson golfer D.J. Trahan fired a final round of 74 and teammate Jack Ferguson clinched the win with a par on the 18th hole, leading Clemson to its first NCAA Golf Championship.
Clemson also became the first school in NCAA history to win its conference championship, NCAA regional title and National Championship in the same year. The Tigers started and ended the year as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
Clemson finished the season with a 124-8-3 record against top-25 opposition, an incredible 93 percent winning percentage, by far the best in the nation and best in Clemson history.
Fall 2004
Making old, new
In 2006, fraternity and sorority housing on the Quad received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Clemson is creating the first formal academic organization supporting the restoration economy — the revitalization of existing areas through new development.
The Clemson University Restoration Institute, centered in Charleston, will create a formal network of experts to tackle the demands of a growing economy based on restoration. The state has awarded Clemson $3 million of matching funds, from the S.C. Education Lottery, for the program.
“The University has recognized this opportunity for advancing South Carolina’s economy through the creation of new knowledge,” says Jan Schach, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and in charge of the institute. “Clemson is also one of only a few universities with the right mix of design, engineering and natural science in applied faculty expertise that can carry out this effort.”
Clemson already has a related presence with its Charleston Architecture Center, and Charleston will be home to Clemson’s new graduate program in historic preservation.
Summer 2006
Inquiring Minds
At first you think you’re seeing an antidote to the latest “bad news” headlines: Successful hospital evacuation plans … childhood obesity treatment … bullying prevention … eating disorder recovery … improved elder care … new cancer research.
And, in a way, you are. These and many other relevant topics are driving Clemson’s fresh approach to undergraduate research — called “creative inquiry” — real-world research for real-life results.
Although it may sound like a new name for an old educational tool, it’s much more. For a start, creative inquiry requires multiple semesters, often four. It combines critical thought, careful research, clear communication and personal commitment. Put simply, it’s “engaged learning” throughout the undergraduate experience.
“Creative inquiry crosses boundaries between different majors and promotes teamwork,” says Provost Dori Helms, who began introducing the concept several years ago. “Problem-solving carries far beyond the classroom and the single semester.
“This interactive environment engages the faculty, student body and community in discovery, enriching the lives of all involved.”
Creative inquiry is designed to give faculty new teaching environments and mentoring opportunities. It generates fresh concepts and topics they can incorporate into their classes, and they get to interact more often with peers from other disciplines.
Then there’s the community, the University community, the surrounding towns and counties, the state and the “greater community” of all people. When students become lifelong, ethical problem-solvers, our quality of life improves in every way.
Of course, the main beneficiaries are the students themselves.
“In addition to engaged learning, having a mentor and earning academic credit, students get more say-so in their own education,” says Jan Murdoch, undergraduate dean. “Specifically, they can pursue their intellectual and creative passions whether child care or cardiovascular research.”
The Phi Beta Kappa installation ceremony was held on April 1, 2007, and 74 Clemson students were inducted.
Summer 2007
For the love of learning
“After Barker became president and announced that Phi Beta Kappa was one of his 10-year goals, I was elated,” says George C. Fant Jr. ’49. “Not only did this show the administration’s support for student academic achievement, but it showed how serious the University was about the direction it was taking to become a top-20 school.”
… Fant and his wife, Helen, funded an endowment, the Helen M. and George C. Fant Jr. Endowed Scholar, which began the process by which Clemson would be assessed for Phi Beta Kappa membership. The purpose of the endowment was twofold: One, it financed the research and application process to get the chapter started; and two, it provided funds for the chapter’s annual activities and to promote its presence on campus.
“The Fants’ endowment allowed me to do many of the things necessary to secure a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa,” says Jens Holley, University Libraries department chairman, who joined Phi Beta Kappa Society as a student at Furman University. As the Fant Scholar, established by the Fants’ endowment, Holley coordinated the efforts of faculty colleagues to establish the new chapter at Clemson.
During the University’s applicationprocess, the national Phi Beta Kappa organization conducted an extensive review, in which faculty credentials and student achievements were analyzed, and visited campus. To be considered, Clemson had to have Phi Beta Kappa representation of 10 percent of its liberal arts and sciences faculty.
Finally, in 2006, Clemson University was awarded South Carolina’s Delta chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, fulfilling one of President Barker’s goals for the University and a lifelong dream for Fant.
Spring 2010
Clemson at the forefront of wind energy quest
In November 2009, the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston and its partners landed $98 million in funding to develop next-generation wind turbines.
In doing so, the Restoration Institute brought to South Carolina one of the most important wind energy research and development initiatives in the world and placed Clemson at the forefront of the nation’s alternative energy quest.
The move is expected to generate an economic boom for the region by creating new jobs and an industry cluster that will complement Clemson’s other economic development successes: the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville and the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center in Anderson County.
The Restoration Institute and the drivetrain testing facility will include a graduate education component, the cornerstone of any Clemson public-private business model.
With this facility, the Restoration Institute will test the next-generation wind turbines and drivetrains that will help shape the U.S. wind industry.
The Restoration Institute and its partners received a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, which will be combined with $53 million in matching funds from public and private partners. The University’s partners include the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority, S.C. Department of Commerce, state of South Carolina, S.C. Public Railways, S.C. State Ports Authority, RENK Labeco, Tony Bakker and James Meadors. Additional partners that helped write the grant proposal are Savannah River National Laboratory, SCE&G and Fluor.
Spring 2008
President’s View: Striking improvements
Clemson’s first academic plan, known as the “Road Map,” has helped us achieve many great things, including a No. 22 ranking among national public universities by U.S.News & World Report.
In its 2009 guide, “America’s Best Colleges,” U.S. News also put Clemson in second place on a list of “Up and Coming” national universities. That list recognizes schools that have “recently made striking improvements or innovations,” schools that “everyone should be watching.”
What are these improvements? More Clemson students now graduate within four years. Student retention from the freshman-to-sophomore year rose from 88 to 90 percent. Graduation rates are up from 75 to 78 percent.
Barker-CU-ICAR.jpg
Spring 2011
S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence driving the state toward healthier economy
… “If there has ever been a win-win-win program in South Carolina,” says President Jim Barker, “it’s the CoEE Program.” First, the state’s research universities win by having an investment of public and private funding directed toward the areas where we know we can make a difference in the future of our state. Focusing intellectual capital on critical needs and opportunities, from the automotive industry to a sustainable environment, will result in advances in these areas but will also attract established businesses and entrepreneurs to work with us.
The centers will give students connections and experience that will serve them well after their course work is done. Private investors win by partnering with a research university and world-class faculty members whose work can produce knowledge and innovation and create jobs. And the state wins by the creation of new business and the relocation of businesses from other states for proximity to the innovators in their fields.
The state has invested $45 million in CoEE funds in Clemson research, creating 13 centers with 16 endowed-chair positions to attract the best and brightest faculty leaders from around the world. With a strong alignment between the CoEEs, Clemson’s emphasis areas and national priorities, the potential for growth is virtually limitless.
CU-ICAR — the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is home to four research areas supported by endowed chairs to drive innovation in automotive and motorsports research.
COMSET — Clemson’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies is headquarters for two CoEEs to be led by endowed chairs.
Advanced Fiber-based Materials researches advanced synthetic polymers and natural fibrous materials as well as new composite materials based on metals, ceramics and polymers for automotive, space, athletic equipment and medical prosthetic markets.
Advanced Tissue Biofabrication is in conjunction with the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina. Clemson researchers develop processes for the production of complex tissues and organs through “bioprinting” or three-dimensional layering of individual cells.
Cyber-Institute combines computer and electrical engineering with the University’s growing computing power to create a strong research program, industrial partnerships and technology transfer opportunities in research areas that rely on storage, processing and transmitting large amounts of data.
Health Facilities Design and Testing (with MUSC and USC) research focuses on designing health care facilities to improve delivery of health care services and create architectural settings that positively affect the health of patients and staff.
Regenerative Medicine, housed at the Medical University of South Carolina, focuses on the regeneration or re-modeling of tissues and organs for the purpose of repairing, replacing, maintaining or enhancing organ functions, including engineering and growth of functional tissue substitutes.
SeniorSMART ™, a collaborative effort with the University of South Carolina, explores three major research areas — intellectual activity, safety within the home and safety outside the home, especially while driving.
Sustainable Development builds on existing strengths in restoration ecology, renewable energy, natural resources, sustainable design, land use planning, real estate development and watershed management. Research fosters sustainable development strategies that allow the state to protect natural resources and encourage smart growth.
Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics draws on established expertise in helping business and industry find the most efficient, economical ways to move goods or people to market.
Tissue Systems Characterization enhances existing expertise in tissue engineering and biomaterials to provide alternatives to animal testing. This center extends exploration of novel technologies with potential to serve as new diagnostics, medical devices and therapeutic products.
Urban Ecology and Restoration integrates ecological science, engineering and urban design and planning to support the growth of South Carolina’s environmental industry.
Spring 2012
Class of ’56 Academic Success Center
Clemson’s Academic Success Center has worked nearly a decade in the lower level of the Cooper Library
— and in other nooks and crannies across campus
— to help students keep scholarships and graduate.
Now, thanks to the Class of 1956, it has a new designated building in the heart of Clemson’s academic campus. The $2.7 million raised by the class became seed money for the construction of the Class of 1956 Academic Success Center, located behind Cooper Library, which opened earlier this year. The $13.7 million project includes construction of the 35,000-square-foot, three-story building, site preparation, furnishings and landscaping. Its main programs and instructors make studying and understanding course work more effective and meaningful, helping students keep scholarships and graduate.
Summer-Fall 2012
We made it: $608,839,594
When the Will to Lead: A Campaign for Clemson was launched publicly in 2006, it was a bold step for the University. And its successful completion marks the largest university fundraising effort ever achieved in our history, surpassing the $600 million goal.
It’s time to celebrate that great achievement, even as we look to the future. The generosity of Clemson Family and friends has done great things for the students and faculty, changing lives and adding to the economic opportunity of the entire region.
The new goal for the Will to Lead campaign is $1 billion. In the middle of a recession, the Clemson Family and friends raised more than $608 million for Clemson, exceeding our goal. These vital funds met many of the University’s most immediate needs.
But this is about the future. Funds are needed for additional scholarships, fellowships, professorships and endowed chairs to benefit our current students and faculty, and to attract even more top talent. New facilities are needed to replace aged and inadequate academic and athletic structures. And dollars are needed to provide the kind of unique experiences that create the marketplace-ready graduates that Clemson prides itself in.
The challenge to raise $1 billion is the most ambitious ever under-taken by a public university with an alumni base of our size.
Spring 2013
A time for change
I returned from my medical leave on March 29 and two weeks later asked the Board of Trustees to begin its search for the 15th president of Clemson University. I will remain in office until the new president is found and begins work. After that, I will begin preparing for the next phase of my Clemson career as a faculty member in the School of Architecture.
… The personal journey I have taken in the first half of 2013 led me to conclude that this is the right time to “change majors” from the president’s office to Lee Hall simply because Clemson University is in such good shape.
We have a high demand for everything about Clemson. We’re attracting great students, faculty and staff. We are blessed with alumni support and a capital campaign that has been very, very successful. We are financially healthy; in fact, we are in better shape financially than we were before the Great Recession. And we have a plan that has broad support by our alumni and, most importantly, by our Board of Trustees.
We are on an upward path, and I pledge to do everything I can to continue this positive momentum.
It has been the honor and privilege of my life to serve as your 14th president, and I will always be grateful to Clemson students, faculty, staff and alumni for giving me a chance to serve my alma mater in this special way.
Cadence Count: The Barker Presidency
For 14 years, James F. Barker ’70 has served as Clemson’s 14th president and an ardent cheerleader for the University. Under his leadership, the University has grown substantially while still maintaining a firm grip on its identity and sense of family.
Here are just a few of the numbers that tell the story.
Debbie Dunning '75
“I’ve been here so long I rocked on the porch with Thomas,” I’ve often quipped when asked about my tenure here at Clemson. In all honesty, I can’t lay claim to ever stepping on this hallowed ground before the summer of 1971, when my mother and I motored up from the Lowcountry to attend Orientation before the start of my freshman year. But Clemson “took,” and I stayed on to enjoy a 38-year career as an editor for publications such as Clemson World and for commemorative projects such as the University’s Centennial Celebration, the Thomas Green Clemson biography and both volumes of The High Seminary. It was while working on these special projects that I came to best know Thomas and Anna Clemson and could imagine rocking on the porch of Fort Hill, gazing out at the wondrous “high seminary of learning” that has been carefully and caringly built on their homeplace.
Now, as I prepare to pass my role in the telling of Clemson’s history to the next generation, I represent Clemson folks everywhere when I say, “Rock on, Thomas, rock on.”
— Debbie Dunning ’75
Manager of Editorial Services
Clemson Creative Services
The Last Lecture
‘President Barker was the keynote speaker at the Victor Hurst Academic Convocation on August 20, marking the beginning of the 121st academic year. This is an excerpt from his remarks.’
This morning, I will attempt to answer the question:
“If this was your ‘last lecture’ what would you say?” I’ll use this time to share with you some of what I’ve learned over the past 14 years about how my idea of Clemson has continued — and will continue — to evolve. Then I’ll try to say something useful to those of you who will help write the next chapter in Clemson history.
First, I’ve come to understand that Clemson must pay special attention to our relationship to both change and tradition.
Clemson exists explicitly to be an agent of change. After all, what was Thomas Green Clemson’s great cry? “Our country is wretched in the extreme,” he wrote. Our economy is struggling. Our people are struggling. And something needs to change. We need education and research to solve problems, to bring prosperity. Clemson must deliver this much-needed transformation.
So, a commitment to bold, even radical change is a true Clemson tradition.
Going forward, Clemson must take care not to embrace a false sense of tradition — the one that leads to protectionism and resistance to change masquerading as some proud commitment to the past. But Clemson must embrace its covenant with — and tradition of — change. Finding the proper balance becomes ever more important.
The ability to “dance with uncertainty” will be a fundamental quality needed in Clemson University’s next president.
Second, I’ve learned the truth of something Gen. Dwight Eisenhower once said: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
Clemson has a well-deserved reputation for doing effective, meaningful planning. But the true value in any planning is not the document you produce at the end of the process. A plan is merely a tool to inspire good, clear thinking about the future.
In the end, sound thinking yields strategic behaviors that persist long past the discard date for the plans themselves. We describe these behaviors with words like honest … brave … resourceful … nimble.
The Clemson 2020 Plan must be carried forward and implemented with honesty, resourcefulness, courage and … never forget … adaptability and flexibility.
Third, I’ve learned that the world truly needs its educational institutions to be incubators of creativity.
All children are naturally curious and creative. Too often, our educational system is guilty of drumming the creativity out of them instead of helping them to nourish it and channel it in constructive ways. Creativity — where good ideas come from — is a special interest of mine. My soon-to-be department chair, Kate Schwennsen, has asked me to prepare a course on “Creativity and Leadership,” and I hope to do so.
There is a proper emphasis here on equipping our students with the skills of math, science and technology. But if you ask business leaders — and I have done this — “What do you value most in prospective employees?” They will answer: “People with skills who are also creative thinkers and problem-solvers.”
Finally, I’ve learned in the most personal sort of way that leadership is service. It is the opposite of self-advancement or resume building. In fact, people who claim for themselves the mantle of leader are often not the ones whom other people want to follow.
Clearly, I felt called to this service out of my deep affection for this place — Clemson.
Your next president will likely be answering a different call. The love of learning … or a passion for making sure venerable 19th century institutions can remain viable and sustainable in the age of digital, mobile technology. The kind of chief executive Clemson needs tomorrow is different from the kind we needed in 1999 — after five presidents in 15 years.
[pullquote align=’left’]I’ve always thought that leading a university is more like conducting a symphony orchestra or jazz band … one in which each individual player is a skilled, talented and creative star in his or her own right.[/pullquote]
But I know that it is you — the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Clemson— who work in harmony to turn the noise into music. And what a beautiful song it has been for us for 14 years. Today, Marcia and I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude at being given the responsibility and the opportunity to serve, with all of you, in protecting and advancing this noble idea of Clemson.
Orange Rose
Since 1999, Marcia Barker has called the two-story white house situated off Cherry Road, atop a grassy hill, “home.” Shortly after she and husband, Jim, moved into the space, she affixed a sign to the front door that said as much. The small plaque has a simple message, but it makes an intentional distinction: This is the “President’s Home.”
In the Barkers’ 14 years of living and entertaining here, tens of thousands of guests have crossed the threshold — each one enjoying an introduction to Marcia’s hospitality and her love of all things Clemson. Whether it’s a donor event, Woman’s Club gathering, faculty reception or alumni celebration, an invitation to the President’s Home is always an invitation to time well spent with Marcia, as she entertains alongside her high school sweetheart, life partner and best friend.
The flowers are fresh, and guests are welcomed with a warm smile and open arms. And if Marcia can help it, the roses are always orange.
“When we lived in Clemson as students, Jim’s architecture faculty embraced all their students,” she recalls, seated in her well-appointed front living room and explaining that, as a young couple in the late 1960s, they were invited to picnics, dinners at faculty homes and all variety of outings.
[pullquote align=’right’ font=’oswald’ color=’#EA6A20′]“So, when Jim started his first faculty appointment, we just opened the door, because that’s the way we had been treated,”[/pullquote] Marcia says. Now, nearly five decades after they began their Clemson journey together, Marcia is readying herself and her husband to exit the presidency and begin the process of reflecting on their time spent here. “I realized early on how fast this would go, and that it would pass,” Marcia says quietly and thoughtfully. “I’ve tried to embrace every single moment.”
Marcia and Jim met in Kingsport, Tenn. They were high school sweethearts, dating for five years before they were married in 1969, him at 21, her at 20. Her father signed for her to wed the young Clemson architecture student, and she left Winthrop College lacking one year of school so she could move to Clemson. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education at Georgia State University in 1972.
Their marriage marked the beginning of a partnership that would carry them through life and academia, starting out in “married student housing” at Clemson, a modest group of buildings known as the “pre-fabs.” The small metal buildings on Jersey Lane have long since been replaced by the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. But every time the Barkers attend a performance, Marcia says they smile a little at the memory of their Clemson beginnings.
“We just thought it was the most wonderful house in the world,” she says laughing. “It would probably fit in the foyer of the President’s Home. That’s where we learned about the Clemson Family, too.”
They moved straight into the pre-fabs after their August 1969 wedding and prepared for Jim to finish his bachelor’s degree. “You know how hot it is here in Clemson,” she recalls of that first summer. “There was no air conditioning, and those little metal houses were warm.”
Shortly after they’d unpacked, one of Barker’s architecture professors, Hal Cooledge, appeared at their door with a window air conditioning unit in hand. He told them he just happened to have an extra one lying around. Marcia may never know if that was true, but she says this, smiling: “It cooled that whole little place, and probably saved our marriage.”
Nearly 45 years later, she’s seen more kindness extended to her family by the Clemson Family than she could ever have imagined.
“It’s been overwhelming and very amazing,” she says. “We can just feel their genuine care and concern.”
Barker was appointed dean of the College of Architecture in 1986, and the couple left Mississippi State University to return to Clemson for the second and last time. Marcia had one lament about the move back, after years of making the trip to Clemson to visit friends:
“We were so excited to start this adventure here,” she recalls. “I said, ‘There’s only one bad thing about coming back to Clemson.’”
It was a comment that she remembers surprising her husband: “When we would come back to visit, we would drive into town, and I would get that excited feeling in my stomach when I would get to Bowman Field. And I said, ‘I will miss that.’”
She found out that the feeling never actually went away, whether she was driving to work as a teacher at Fort Hill Presbyterian or passing by Bowman on one of her early-morning walks around campus, something she enjoys with a small group of friends as often as she is able:
“I still get that feeling, because there’s always something different going on there. It’s the heartbeat of the campus.”
Through the years, the Barkers worked together to serve the students and faculty and to advance Jim’s career, raising two sons, Jacob and Britt, along the way. They celebrated a wedding and two grandchildren in that time — son Jacob married Rita Bolt Barker and they have since had two daughters, Madeline and Eliza.
On her own, Marcia has served the community with diligence and selflessness, volunteering her time and her talents to many, many organizations — America Reads, Friends of Lee Gallery, Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Clemson Child Development Center and University organizations among them. As first lady, she is honorary president of the Clemson University Woman’s Club, and each year she hosts their open house. As a caring friend, she can be counted on for her homemade breakfast casserole during times of loss (a death) and moments of celebration (a new baby!). She is often responsible for flowers when a special event is happening at her church.
Those who know her well say Jim has always been her No. 1 priority. Marcia explains her support of him the same way she characterizes her engagement with students, faculty, staff and donors: “When you care about someone or something, you really want to do what you can to make that person successful and happy. That’s the way the people at Clemson are.”
[pullquote align=’left’ font=’oswald’ color=’#EA6A20′]The Barkers moved into the President’s Home in 1999, and since 2000 they have hosted an impressive 93,708 guests at 789 events there.[/pullquote]
In all that time, Doris Johnson has been the executive housekeeper. And in all that time of sharing a house and a calendar with Marcia, Johnson says, “I have never seen her upset.”
Johnson works hand in hand with Marcia’s executive assistant, Linda Wofford, to support the events and entertaining that take place at the President’s Home. Johnson and Wofford have been a team since they both worked for University dining services in the 1990s. They agree that Marcia’s cool, calm and collected public persona doesn’t change behind closed doors. What folks don’t see as often, they say, is her sense of humor.
Case in point: Years ago, the Barkers were entertaining a group of college deans with an outdoor, white tablecloth dinner reception. As Johnson and Wofford were just finishing setting the tables and the Barkers were inside getting dressed, the backyard sprinklers went off. Everything was soaked.
The two staffers looked at each other and realized that someone was going to have to tell the Barkers. So, Wofford stood at the foot of the stairs and called up to them, saying, “We have a problem.”
The Barkers emerged. They saw the soaked table settings. Their response? “They laughed,” Wofford recalls, smiling. The four of them worked as a team to wipe down the glassware and china and replace the soaked tablecloths. Minutes before guests walked through the door, Marcia was helping her team dry off the wet grass with bath towels.
“If anybody had seen us, they would have thought we were crazy,” Johnson says. It remains one of her most treasured memories from her years at the President’s Home.
There’s seldom a face that Marcia Barker forgets. Rare is the occasion that doesn’t merit a hand-written note in her perfect script. She’s in a constant state of outreach — be it congratulations or condolences. It’s not out of obligation. It is, friends say, because she really cares.
“She will know as much about you as you know about her,” says Hazel Sparks, a longtime friend of Marcia’s and her former teacher’s assistant at Fort Hill Preschool. Marcia taught and served as director of the preschool for 10 years, prior to becoming first lady. Sparks, a Clemson institution in her own right, connects the dots between Marcia’s teaching days and her role as first lady.
“She could focus on one child’s need and still be aware of everything else going on in the classroom,” Sparks says. “In a social situation, she can focus on the person she’s talking to, but she still knows what’s going on around her.”
And chances are, if you had a nice conversation, she’ll write a thoughtful note to say so. There’s no telling how many notes Marcia has penned through the years. But if you ask her, it’s one too few.
“I write a lot, but that’s one thing that’s really hard for me. I always feel like there’s one more I need to write that I don’t get time for,” she says. “I do think it’s important, and people have been so incredibly great to write us — just some heartfelt thanks and gratitude. We will definitely treasure those.”
It’s been years since they’ve gone back and looked in the wooden box that holds the thousands of letters they’ve received through the years, dating back to when President Barker was inaugurated. In retirement, they have plans to revisit those letters and those memories, one at a time.
A favorite memory Marcia shares occasionally is a valentine’s party that several male students talked them into hosting at their home. The undergrads convinced the Barkers to let them cook dinner in their kitchen and have their blindfolded dates chauffeured to the President’s Home to share the meal.
The young women took turns gasping at the surprise before being invited to sit down to dinner. Afterward, the group of about eight ladies gathered in the den with Marcia, and the next thing they knew, one of the young men had slid behind the grand piano. He started playing. The rest of the men, including President Barker, then filed in through the French doors and surrounded the piano, proceeding to perform a choreographed rendition of the song, “L-O-V-E.” (Think, “L, is for the way you look tonight.”) The song ended with Jim on bended knee in front of Marcia, an orange rose in hand.
At the end of the night, they were in a state of shock, Marcia recalls. “We just looked at each other when they walked out the door and said, ‘What just happened?’”
It’s clear that memories like that will live on long after the last of the Barkers’ belongings are moved out of the President’s Home and into a home off campus. Marcia hasn’t spent too much time being reflective about her tenure as Clemson’s first lady, in part because she’s still so busy, but also, she says, because it makes her emotional.
“Jim always says it’s been a great honor in his life to serve Clemson as president,” she offers. “When he says that, I always in my mind say, ‘It’s really been an honor for me to serve alongside him.’”
A Bias for Innovation
Innovation isn’t always creating a new, flashy product. Sometimes it’s taking something that already exists and finding a different or more efficient way to use the same product.
This idea, this intersection of form and function, is where science and the humanities come together. It’s also the place where universities like Clemson can allow students to stretch boundaries and truly innovate without the obstacles that often face companies — cost, time, bureaucracy of the process.
“It’s not just about making the machine, it’s also about seeing how people are going to use the product,” said David Blakesley, the Campbell Chair for Technical Communication and professor of English. He works extensively with students on the future of the traditional book — what forms it will take, how it will be published and how it will be read.
GIVING SHAPE TO IDEAS
Building on the idea of innovation while allowing for creativity is integral in Clemson’s new MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MBAe) program, which just graduated its inaugural class from the one-year program.
Designed for individuals who want to start their own companies, the program attracts students who come with a business idea, and then they spend the year networking, developing and refining their idea in the effort to graduate with a market-ready company.
“One of the primary goals of the MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is to ensure that we incorporate a bias for creativity, experimentation and innovation,” said Greg Pickett, associate dean and director of the Clemson MBA program. [pullquote align=’right’ font=’chunk’ color=’#685C53′]“Just as an entrepreneurial mindset encourages big ideas, the knowledge gained from our unique curriculum provides students the real-life tools necessary to bring ideas to the marketplace.”[/pullquote]
Starting a company wasn’t even a consideration for May MBAe graduate Riley Csernica when she began her undergraduate career at Clemson in bioengineering in 2008. “I kind of stumbled upon it and really liked taking charge and being creative,” she said.
What started out as an idea for a capstone project for her senior design class is now being made into a full-fledged business. She and her group mates were paired with a clinician from Greenville Health System, and from discussions with him, they created a shoulder stabilization brace for athletes and active individuals who experience recurring shoulder instability issues.
With idea in hand, Csernica entered the MBAe program — and now she and one of her original group members have begun Tarian Orthotics. They’ve already received a $50,000 National Science Foundation I-CORPS award as well as $7,500 from the Clemson EnterPrize Awards, the MBAe capstone business pitch competition. They have worked through the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF), which promotes technology transfer of Clemson intellectual property, to file a provisional patent on the brace.
“There are definitely good days and bad days — there aren’t really any rule books we can look into for answers,” she said. “But through this program, we now have an idea of where we’re going and who to talk to. It was a great time for me to be able to focus on what we are trying to do big picture.”
BUILDING A CABINET OF CURIOSITY
Using an approach to education that fosters innovation, Clemson’s Creative Inquiry program immerses undergraduates in the research process. Students work in teams with faculty mentors, take ownership of their projects and assume the intellectual risks necessary to solve problems and get answers. Team-based investigations are led by a faculty mentor and typically span two to four semesters.
Creative Inquiry students develop critical-thinking skills, learn to solve problems and hone their communication and presentation skills, alongside getting to work on incredible projects with entrepreneurial prospects.
When Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital expressed the need for a pediatric arm stabilizer that could be used to facilitate blood draws from young patients, a Creative Inquiry class took the idea and worked for two years on a solution. The project team included 12 students majoring in mechanical engineering, nursing, bioengineering, business and general engineering, and CURF has since filed a provisional patent for the invention.
In a recent agricultural mechanization Creative Inquiry project, students converted a four-passenger electric golf cart into a teaching platform by building and designing a powertrain and utilizing a diesel engine with hydrostatic transmission. The students incorporated GPS guidance and variable rate controllers.
“We can now demonstrate agricultural power and machinery principles in addition to precision agriculture technologies in a more efficient and student-centered manner,” said Kendall Kirk, agricultural and biological engineering research assistant.
GROWING IDEAS
Clemson’s charge from the very beginning has been to innovate and improve the field of agriculture. And while the study of agriculture is far from new, researchers’ work is never done.
A team of professors and students in the agricultural mechanization and business program has designed and implemented technologies that allow a zero turn mower — a standard riding lawn mower that has a turning radius that’s effectively zero inches — to use its existing hydraulic circuit to power cylinder and motor–actuated implements. It can also operate accessory attachments such as log splitters, scrape blades, wood chippers, leaf blowers and others.
“This technology substantially increases the versatility of zero turn mowers and eliminates the need for additional internal combustion engines to drive accessories,” Kirk said.
As part of a horticulture class, students [pullquote align=’left’ font=’chunk’ color=’#685C53′]Malisia Wilkins and Allison Kelley recently tackled the idea of vertical gardening as a way to feed the hungry in small-space urban environments.[/pullquote] Vertical gardening involves a simple structure, built vertically, that doesn’t require soil and retains water. To build one, they upcycled several standard wooden pallets and outfitted them with materials found at your average hardware store.
“When it came to designing the vertical garden, our first priority, beyond feeding people, was sustainability; our second priority was to design something inexpensive and easy to build,” they wrote in their report.
The three prototypes of varying sizes were then filled with cilantro, bell peppers, Italian parsley, kale, basil, sweet marjoram, oregano, chard, micro-greens, lettuce, strawberries, thyme — all plants that grow at shallow soil depths and, more importantly, provide nutritional value and health benefits.
“We believe that by educating individual families to produce on a micro-scale, we can work to eliminate food insecurities and hunger,” they said.
SPRINGBOARD FOR INNOVATION
Partnerships with Greenville Health System (GHS) and private corporations are helping drive innovation in the classroom as well as the business sector. From advanced materials to bioengineering, recent academic innovations have given rise to commercially applicable medical advancements.
These advancements are fueled by the 20-year partnership between the College of Engineering and Science and GHS, and more recently, the opening of the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC) on the Patewood medical campus. This facility includes translational research laboratories that focus on cardiovascular and orthopedic engineering. CUBEInC enables the translation of high-impact medical technology and devices from the laboratory to bedside, providing numerous opportunities for entrepreneurial pursuits.
“GHS is a wonderful partner for Clemson,” said Martine LaBerge, bioengineering department chair. “Where Clemson has a comprehensive understanding of biomaterials, the hospital system is the go-to organization in Upstate South Carolina for medicine and surgery. When these areas of expertise are combined, there exists a real opportunity to make a difference in the quality of life of the people of our state.”
Using CUBEInC as a springboard for innovation, assistant professor John DesJardins and colleagues have mentored two recent senior biomedical engineering design projects that have development technologies destined for the marketplace — one of those being the newly formed Tarian Orthotics.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Innovation and change happening in Clemson classrooms isn’t just affecting industry and business, but the future of teaching and classrooms.
“It’s so important for teachers to be able to think creatively and to be able to inspire this thinking in their students because they are charged with educating young people for an unknown future in a digital, global world that requires students to be literate across an interweaving media — from written text to the body to digital imagery to sound,” said Alison Leonard, assistant professor of arts and creativity.
To address this, she has created the Arts and Creativity Lab in Godfrey Hall, which was physically and aesthetically designed to cultivate creative and artistic thinking. The design of the space, along with the pedagogy of the class, nurtures ideas among students.
“We cannot continue to train teachers the same way that many of us were taught. The world is different,” Leonard said. “Ways of communicating continually are changing, and young students are literate in ways that are so multifaceted and mediated, that being flexible, creative, able to function and communicate effectively across cultures, contexts and media is essential.”
The same goes for long-standing products like books. In Blakesley’s class on the future of the book, his students approach creating a book in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Each has to think linearly across platforms — how will this read on the printed page? How will it read on a tablet? What will make this more interactive? In the end, the whole process is scrambled, and the writer has to rethink the approach. A book is no longer just a book in the simplest sense of the word.
The consequences of such innovation is that long-standing roles and processes need to be changed, adapted or simply eliminated. And change is hard.
“I like to think of our students as ‘change agents,’” Blakesley said. “Down the road, they’ll be more capable and likely to bring about innovation in the workplace. And they’ll be better prepared to anticipate the cost and challenges because they’ve done this already, in the classroom.”
Clemson writers Ron Grant and Jonathan Veit contributed to this article.
J. Dean Norton ’77
Working for George Washington
Experiencing a sense of place that transcends time, Dean Norton has spent the last 44 years sustaining George Washington’s greatest horticultural legacy — Mount Vernon Estate’s landscape design and grounds.
Norton, an Alexandria, Va., native, worked on the estate grounds while in high school. He worked with a Clemson student who talked about Clemson nonstop — his first introduction to the University. Wanting to attend an out-of-state school, he stopped by campus on his way to Myrtle Beach one summer. In Norton’s words, “I was hooked.”
After graduating from Clemson, the horticulture major began his career at Mount Vernon as the first boxwood gardener and was quickly promoted to director of horticulture and gardens. As the longest-serving horticulturist at Mount Vernon, Norton oversees a staff of 23 people responsible for the gardens, grounds, greenhouse and livestock. The estate is designed to look exactly as it did when Washington died in 1799. Documents, diaries, letters and new archaeological findings occasionally surface containing new information about the gardens and grounds. Norton and his team are then challenged to research and interpret the new finds in order to keep the state’s plantings accurate.
In demand to speak and lecture internationally on heritage horticulture and gardening, Norton has received numerous awards for his work and has been a guest on many network television and radio programs. The Clemson Historical Properties Committee invited him to evaluate the landscapes of the University’s historical properties; he hosted a Clemson Alumni cleanup event at Mount Vernon; and hosted University historian Jerry Reel for a talk on the connection between George Washington and Thomas Green Clemson.
Norton recalls his time at Clemson as “indescribably perfect.” In addition to a great education, he lists his experiences as a trumpeter in the Tiger Band, enjoying sporting events and embracing the Clemson spirit as some of his best memories.
“Simply put, I am one of the most blessed folks I know. I have worked at an institution and in a job that I have loved for 44 years. The degree I received from Clemson allowed me to be where I am today,” Norton said. “I am not only thrilled and honored to tell people that I work for George Washington, but I am also thrilled and honored to tell people that I received my degree from Clemson University.”
Philip A. Francis Jr. ’74
Protector of special places
For 41 years, administrative management major Phil Francis devoted his career to helping protect our country’s national parks and special landmarks. This year he retired from the U.S. National Park Service as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Since joining the Park Service in 1972 at Kings Mountain National Military Park, Francis served in parks from coast to coast — including Shenandoah, Yosemite, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
In 1994, Francis transferred to the Smokies after serving for three years as associate regional director for administration in Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe, N.M. He was deputy/acting superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2005, he became the sixth superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
His leadership was instrumental in the creation of new nonprofit partners that included Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Inc., the Institute at Tremont, Experience Your Smokies and Discover Life in America. Discover Life in America, which is conducting the first all-species inventory of a national park, named a new species after Francis in appreciation for his support of the project. His many awards include the Department of Interior’s Superior Service Award.
In retirement, Francis hopes to continue to stay close to the great outdoors — and he certainly knows all the special places to see and visit.