Taking Care of Each Other, and Our Communities

It’s been a remarkable fall at Clemson. We’ve welcomed alumni back to campus, witnessed a wonderful display of student spirit in the Homecoming floats, celebrated the 29th home built by the Clemson chapter of Habitat for Humanity and enjoyed being together face to face again.

At the same time, we’ve continued robust testing for COVID-19 while keeping each other safe by masking in many indoor spaces on campus. The Clemson Family takes care of each other; we have seen that in action this fall, not only on campus but also in our larger communities. Ruthie Hite, for example, went above and beyond for her friend and fellow alumnus by giving him one of her kidneys — an act of true selflessness. You can read their incredible story on page 14.

Another good example is the Call Me MISTER® program. To increase the number of Black male elementary school teachers, Call Me MISTER, which began at Clemson in 2000, continues to spread its influence across not only South Carolina but other states as well. Roy Jones, the program’s director, has been on a mission to uncover our shared history and, by doing so, enrich the experience and education of every mister. Read about his journey on page 26.

The University reached another exciting milestone this fall when we dedicated the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel, which has been a dream of students and alumni for decades. This all-faiths chapel will provide a quiet place for meditation, reflection and celebration for the University community. Read more about the beautiful new space, the young man for whom it is named and the many people who made it possible on page 20.

This fall, we’ve had the joy of watching our daughter Grace enroll as a freshman in the ClemsonLIFE program, and we are thankful she has the opportunity to enjoy a life of purpose, employment, independence and friendship. When you’re on campus, I encourage you to watch for the interactions and enjoy the relationships that our traditional students have with our ClemsonLIFE students. It will make you smile.

I hope that you will come back to campus this spring to enjoy a baseball or softball game, a concert or an alumni event, or simply to wander through campus, enjoying the memories and absorbing the changes.

I look forward to seeing you on campus.

Go Tigers!