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The Value of a Life-Changing Education

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I spent an energizing day at the South Carolina State House this spring with hundreds of Clemson advocates who gathered to learn about the University’s legislative agenda and to show support for keeping Clemson among the best universities in the nation.

On page 9, you’ll find a by-the-numbers look at the cost and value of a Clemson education. I encourage you to take a few minutes and discover some things you might not know about how Clemson provides access to a life-changing experience for students across the state and across the economic spectrum. You’ll see how our graduates’ earnings rank among all universities and how Clemson ranks among top-25 public universities in terms of cost.

Within the pages of this magazine, you’ll also read stories that illustrate the value of that very life-changing experience: a computer science major who succeeds despite being nearly blind and deaf; researchers who are laying the groundwork for a system to document battlefield injuries to ensure that troops receive benefits they are due; faculty and graduate students working to understand and impede the spread of a disease threatening fragile ecosystems; and a renowned sculptor accurately and beautifully representing the creation he loves. These are the stories of Clemson.

As we celebrated commencement this spring, I was struck with yet another story of determined Clemson Tigers, and those are the graduates of the ClemsonLIFE program which provides a postsecondary experience for students with intellectual disabilities.
I was honored to shake their hands at the University graduation, and I have been so proud of the Clemson community for embracing these students as members of the Clemson Family.

I am proud of all of these Tigers and proud to call myself one as well.

Clemson Women Making a Difference

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When Clemson was founded in 1889, it was an all-male military school. It wasn’t until 1955 that the first full-time degree-seeking female undergraduate students enrolled for classes. Since that time, the women of Clemson have been crucial to our success as we have moved up the ranks to be a nationally ranked university that values the contributions of all Tigers.
This issue of Clemson World features four outstanding Clemson women: Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, NASA launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, environmentalist Maria Whitehead, and graduate student and researcher Kylie Smith. They are all making an impact on our world, and they all wear their identities as Clemson alumni proudly. Their successes make us proud to call them fellow Tigers.
[pullquote]Their stories also have relevant messages for all of us, regardless of our gender, race, religion or national origin.[/pullquote] I invite you to read about how Nikki Haley has not let other people define who she is, how Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has combined a dream with hard work and a plan, how Maria Whitehead’s passion for birds has fueled her drive for conservation and how Kylie Smith’s research revealed her gift for mentoring others.
I have always appreciated and admired strong women, my mother being at the top of my list.
When I was growing up, she always told me to be a good person and to make a difference. That advice has guided my life. The four women in this issue have followed that same mantra as well, and the world is a better place because of their contributions and achievements.
So now, I’ll give you the same advice my mother gave me: Be a good person, and go make a difference in the world.