6. Have “big ideas.”

Clemson thinks big. While continuing to enhance core academic and service programs, Clemson has pursued big ideas such as economic development initiatives that generate millions of dollars in investments and create jobs, distinctive educational programs that earn national acclaim, and public service projects that create opportunities for thousands of young people and at-risk youth.

• Bridge to Clemson
• Call Me MISTER®
• Clemson University Center for Advanced Materials
• Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
• Clemson University Restoration Institute
• Communication Across the Curriculum
• Creative Inquiry
• Renaissance Center
• Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics 
• Teacher Renewal Center
• Youth Learning Institute

In her book The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price, author Lynn O’Shaughnessy cited Creative Inquiry as an innovative approach to learning and wrote, “Unfortunately, the experiences that Clemson students enjoy are not nearly common enough among undergraduates elsewhere.”