History professor wins Hodges Prize in Southern Studies
Rod Andrew, professor of history at Clemson University, has won the 2008 Mary Lawton Hodges Prize in Southern Studies for his biography Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer.
Andrew received his award November 12 at a dinner in his honor at the University of South Carolina. Following the award presentation, Andrew gave a public lecture on “Wade Hampton and the Search for Vindication.”
The Hodges Prize is given annually by the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina in recognition of “the most original work that furthers understanding of the American South.”
Kenneth W. Noe, in writing for The Journal of Military History, calls Andrew’s book a “compelling full biography notable for its scope, balance and insight.” Noe also says, “In a suddenly crowded field of Hampton biographies, Andrew's insights and detailed attention to both Hampton's military career and his political odyssey makes this work stand out as the fullest and best.”
Andrew won the 2008 Distinguished Book Award for biography from the U.S. Army Historical Foundation for Wade Hampton, and in 2008 the book was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title.
Andrew received his M.A. from Clemson University and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in both antebellum and New South periods, Andrew specializes in Southern history. His essay “‘My Children on the Field’: Wade Hampton, Biography, and the Roots of the Lost Cause” is forthcoming in The Great Task Remaining Before Us: Reconstruction as America's Continuing Civil War. Andrew has been teaching at Clemson since 2000 and also serves as a graduate coordinator for the Department of History.
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Department of Languages hosts Clemson's 37th Annual Poetry Declamation Contest
Clemson University's Department of Languages hosted approximately 450 high school students from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia Saturday for the the 37th annual Poetry Declamation Contest.
Each participant memorized two poems to present before judges, with gold, silver and bronze medals going to the top three contestants in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish. Students competing ranged from public, private and homeschooled backgrounds.
The purpose of the annual contest is to celebrate language learning as students showcase their memorization and pronunciation skills. Students and parents can also meet and interact with language professors from the university, allowing the opportunity to ask questions regarding studies and careers within the languages curriculum. Teachers are invited to attend the declamation as a way to observe new strategies of teaching.
The declamation contest was begun at Clemson in 1971 by Dr. Harry Stewart, professor emeritus of French. Additional information can be found on the Clemson Department of Languages website: http://www.clemson.edu/caah/languages/dec/dec.html.
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Author Dorothy Allison speaks with English students
During her visit to Clemson on Oct. 8, award-winning writer Dorothy Allison spent time with students in Professor Mike LeMahieu's "American Novel" class. Allison visited with faculty and students throughout the day, prior to her evening lecture at the Strom Thurmond Institute "Everything I Know About Women, I Learned from Ficition." Visit the Women's Studies website to read more about Allison's visit. (Photo by Linda Tindal)
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Two AAH faculty members receive Alumni Distinguished Professor distinction
Steven Marks, professor of history, and Lee Morrissey, professor and chair of the Department of English, were named Alumni Distinguished Professors at the University's convocation ceremony in August.
Since 1962, the Alumni Association has named Alumni Distinguished Professors to recognize, reward and support excellence in teaching at Clemson. The designation carries a $5,000 yearly stipend made possible by alumni gifts to the Clemson Fund.
Steven Marks began teaching at Clemson in 1988. He specializes in modern Russia and world economic history. He is currently studying the history of capitalism and Russia’s involvement in WWI, and is the author of the recent book How Russia Shaped the Modern World. He grew up in Cincinnati, OH.
Marks received his B.A. degree in history from Miami University of Ohio and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from Harvard University. He has also received the Phi Alpha Theta Graduate Teaching Award, the Dean’s Award for Research Accomplishments in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, the National Scholars Award for Teaching and Mentoring and the Gentry Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities.
Lee Morrissey began teaching at Clemson in 1995. His interests include John Milton, Restoration and eighteenth-century English literature, the Enlightenment, the early English novel, early modern democratic political theory and relationships among the arts. He is the author of two books, From the Temple to the Castle, on authors who were also architects, and The Constitution of Literature, on the history of literary criticism. He is co-author of English Literature in Context, a textbook, editor of Debating the Canon, and author of several journal articles.
Morrissey grew up in Milton, MA and received his A.B. degree in Philosophy & English from Boston College. He went on to receive his M.A. in English, M.A. in History, M.Phil. in English & Comparative Literature, and Ph.D. in English & Comparative Literature from Columbia University. At Clemson, he is a past recipient of the Student Government Teacher of Excellence Award and the Gentry Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities.
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Clemson names Class of '41 Memorial Professor of the Humanities
Todd May, professor of philosophy at Clemson University, has been named the Class of ‘41 Memorial Professor of the Humanities. May received the appointment in August.
The endowed professorship was established in 1985 as part of the Class of ’41 Memorial Endowment. It is awarded to a faculty member from a liberal arts discipline with a record of outstanding achievement in both scholarship and teaching.
May specializes in Continental philosophy, especially recent French philosophy, and teaches a variety of classes within the philosophy and religion department. His classes range over the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, postmodernism and art, and moral realism, to name a few. May focuses his research on the work of Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze and Jacques Rancière. He is currently studying the role of friendship in contemporary society.
May is the author of ten books, including one that is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press. His 1994 book, The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism, has been influential in recent political thought, and several of his books have been translated into other languages.
In his letter of recommendation, department chair William Maker said “May is a master not only at enabling students to comprehend the often abstruse and abstract stuff of philosophy, but also and especially in making it relevant and meaningful for their lives. In his hands philosophy is no longer another academic subject but something that touches the core of their understanding and experience of life. May makes philosophy real in the way it should be. This is a rare and valuable talent.”
Previously, May has been honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, as well as the Gentry Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities. In 2007, he was appointed as the first Lemon Professor of Philosophy.
May grew up in New York City and received his Ph.D. from Penn State University. He came to Clemson in 1991.
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Clemson announces first endowed chair faculty position in construction science and management
Dennis Bausman, associate professor in the construction and science management department (CSM), has been named Clemson’s first Endowed Faculty Chair in Construction Science and Management.
The professorship is made possible by the investments of 17 construction companies and individuals throughout the southeastern United States in recognition of the contributions to the construction industry made by the CSM department faculty through teaching, research and service.
Since arriving at Clemson in 1996, Bausman has established a national reputation in the construction discipline. His appointment is in recognition of his sustained record of national scholarly accomplishments, his excellence in classroom teaching and his service to the construction industry, both nationally and internationally.
He received his B.S. in Construction Engineering from Iowa State University and went on to receive his M.S. in Construction Science Management from Clemson and his Ph.D. in Construction & Science Management from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.
Bausman’s areas of interest include strategic planning in the construction industry, LEED certified building, financial management, project management, vocational and distance education. This past year he completed a ‘YouthBuild’ program funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide vocational training and GED assistance to at-risk area youth. In fall of 2009, Bausman finalized a study on construction theft and vandalism and is currently working on several construction best practice guides. In addition, he recently concluded a research effort on subcontractor default insurance that was funded by the National Association of Surety Bond Producers and the America Subcontractors Association.