Our Audiences

Our overall message: Clemson University will produce educated young people who are prepared to lead the state, the nation and the world into the future. Through a dedication to knowledge, innovation and creativity, Clemson graduates will be prepared to meet the challenge of what comes next.

While we never lose sight of the overall goals of the University when addressing any audience, certain audiences have special interests or questions about Clemson. Always consider the wants and needs of your audience when communicating.

Internal Audiences

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, family and friends

  • Inform of events and engagement opportunities
  • Opportunities for improvement
  • Successes and awards of colleagues
  • Gifts to the University and their uses

External Audiences

Prospective students: in-state, out-of-state, international

  • Opportunities for advancement
  • Enrollment requirements
  • Important dates and schedules for admission
  • Benefits of Clemson: location, reputation, opportunities for engagement and challenge, etc.
  • In-state: highest ranked university in state, drawing state's best students, top programs, financial aid available, small school with large-school opportunities
  • Out-of-state: national reputation, affordable, top programs, location, recreational opportunities, accessible, global campuses and opportunities
  • International: national reputation, accessibility, opportunities to engage, proximity to large cities, support staff, global campuses and opportunities

Prospective faculty and staff

  • Quality of environment
  • Administrative support
  • Research opportunities
  • Cost of living, small-town environment, schools
  • Location
  • Proximity to large cities
  • Top students
  • Reputation of university on larger stage
  • Goals of university leadership
  • Research dollars

State lawmakers

  • Importance to statewide economic development
  • ROI to state
  • Workforce development
  • Land-grant service and value

Business leaders, recruiters and employers

  • Graduates are prepared for future, armed with practical experience and able to solve problems
  • Graduates come armed with imagination, creativity and determination
  • Graduates are accustomed to working hard and serving as vital contributors to collaborative teams

Residents of South Carolina

  • Clemson is drawing top students from in and out of state
  • Clemson draws business and industry which contributes to employment opportunities
  • Clemson contributes far more to the state than it receives in funds
  • Clemson participates in South Carolina’s future in every county and in several important sites
  • Clemson is a trusted, reputable partner in the health, industry and education of the state

Tailoring our message.

Here are some examples of how to quickly describe Clemson to different audiences.

Undergraduate/parent

Clemson University is a nationally ranked research university that is still a very student-centered community. Students at Clemson are engaged, spirited, highly competitive, and are ranked as among the nation’s happiest. Here you find a teaching and learning environment more common to private, liberal arts colleges. But we offer the increased academic, community service and social opportunities that you’d expect from a major public university. We are also on a beautiful campus surrounded by lakes, forests and mountains that offer all kinds of great outdoor activities.

Graduate student/academic/business

Clemson University is ranked in the top 25 among national public universities. We are science and technology-oriented with an emphasis on collaboration, research and entrepreneurship that drives economic development and improves quality of life in South Carolina. As a top-ranked national public university, Clemson continues to grow both in facilities and programs especially in the areas of health innovation, sustainable environment, human resilience, big data science, advanced materials and complex engineered systems.

Alumni

The spirit of Clemson is as you remember it — students are spirited, conscientious, happy and engaged. Clemson is still an unmatched intellectual and social environment that gives students a sense of family, pride and loyalty. As a top-ranked national public university, Clemson continues to grow both in facilities and programs especially in the areas of health innovation, sustainable environment, human resilience, big data science, advanced materials and complex engineered systems.

National focused

Clemson University is a major, land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university that maintains a strong commitment to teaching and student success. Clemson is an inclusive, student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, a culture of collaboration, school spirit, and a competitive drive to excel.

Regional focused

Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains surrounded by a lake and its own forest, Clemson University — South Carolina’s land-grant and highest-ranked institution — is committed to academic excellence, public service, economic development and innovative research, with students at the heart of it all.