Fall 2007 -- Vol. 60, No. 4

Highest U.S. News ranking so far

U.S.News & World Report ranks Clemson 27th among the nation’s 164 public doctoral-granting universities, the only S.C. school in the top 50.

The University continues its climb among the nation’s best public universities.

President Jim Barker says, “I’m very excited about the number 27, but I’m more encouraged by what’s behind that number. We’re seeing improvement in areas that directly impact faculty and students — smaller classes, lower student-to-faculty ratios and continued strong retention and graduation rates.”

Clemson alumni participation was a record 27.6 percent.

In addition to alumni giving, rankings are based on statistical measures, such as student SAT scores, graduation rates and faculty salaries, as well as a subjective measure of academic reputation.

Lifesaving biochip

A biochip as small as a grain of rice could have a huge impact in saving lives.

Clemson researchers are working on a biochip that could help save military and civilian lives. The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $1.6 million to Clemson’s Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips (C3B) for the development of an implantable biochip that could relay vital health information.

The biochip, about the size of a rice grain, could measure and relay such information as lactate and glucose levels in the event of a major hemorrhage, whether on the battlefield, at home or on the highway.

Bioengineering professor Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, C3B director and Dow Chemical Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, says, “First responders to the trauma scene could inject the biochip into the wounded victim and gather data almost immediately.” It could also be injected as a precaution to future traumas.

The device has other long-term potential applications, such as reading blood-sugar levels for diabetics. For more on the Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips and its research, go to www.clemson.edu/c3b.

Fluor endows supply-chain chair in industrial engineering

Fluor Corp. Chairman and CEO Alan Boeckmann presents a $2 million commitment to Clemson President Jim Barker.

Fluor Corp. has made a $2 million matching commitment to Clemson to create the Fluor Endowed Chair of Supply Chain and Logistics in the University’s industrial engineering department. The $2 million award matches $2 million from the S.C. Centers of Excellence program for a $4 million total endowment.

Supply chain and logistics affect all aspects of business, from the flow of raw materials and scheduling production to manufacturing and distributing finished goods. In today’s global business environment, an effective supply chain can mean the difference between a profitable and nonprofitable business.

Establishing the chair at Clemson provides for a world-renowned leader in supply chain research to champion activities in education, research and industry outreach at the Center of Economic Excellence in Supply Chain and Logistics. The endowment also will support students and educational programs.

DEI partners with Clemson motorsports

President Jim Barker meets with DEI’s Teresa Earnhardt, CEO, and Max Siegel, president of Global Operations, to launch a motorsports partnership.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) is the University’s first Motorsports Innovation Partner, providing the company preferred access to faculty, students, facilities and equipment related to the field.

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation will fund an annual undergraduate scholarship honoring the memory of Dale Earnhardt Sr. for students interested in motorsports and automotive engineering. In addition, students selected to receive the Dale Earnhardt Motorsports Scholarship will be eligible for internships with DEI.

CEO Teresa Earnhardt says the relationship with Clemson is in keeping with the missions of both DEI and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation to foster education and to assure that the company and the motorsports industry will benefit from highly motivated, technically competent leaders and employees in the future.

‘Lab’ on the Endeavour

Clemson students conduct bone-loss research on the latest space shuttle.

A Clemson bioengineering team landed at the Kennedy Space Center in August as the Endeavour shuttle landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Eight graduate and undergraduate students, led by bioengineering professor Ted Bateman, looked at function and molecular changes caused by spaceflight-induced bone loss in mice. This research will help develop a better understanding of weightlessness and its impact on the skeletal system and help minimize the risk of fracture in crew members during exploratory missions.

It can also impact research on overall bone health. Clemson is a co-investigator in the study, sponsored by Amgen Inc. in partnership with BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For more on Clemson spaceflight biomedical research, go to www.batemanlab.com.

C-Light closes cyber gap

Clemson has closed the cyber gap in South Carolina by joining the national high-speed research community through direct fiber connections between Clemson, Greenville, Atlanta and Charlotte, providing direct access to the National LambdaRail, Internet2 and other research networks.

The network, known as C-Light, was developed using private donations and gifted fiber with no burden to taxpayers. This cooperative effort provides Clemson with leading-edge capabilities using direct fiber connectivity to high-capacity networks and resources that will enable research, academic advancements and economic opportunities previously out of reach for Clemson and the Upstate.

C-Light provides faculty with the infrastructure they need to collaborate with colleagues and access resources nationally and internationally and ensures their ability to apply for major research grants.

Carolina First Gallery to showcase art at CU-ICAR

Mack Whittle, chairman, president and CEO of The South Financial Group, and Clemson President Jim Barker unveil the marker for the site of the Carolina First Gallery at CU-ICAR.

A $1.5 million investment by Carolina First, through The South Financial Group Foundation, will provide a unique gallery setting in the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) for the public display of international automotive visual arts, innovative research initiatives and other exhibits.

The Carolina First Gallery also will serve as a focal point for welcoming and entertaining guests and will provide a space for events and announcements. It will be located in Innovation Place in Technology Neighborhood One of the CU-ICAR complex, the official welcome point for visitors.

The Carolina First Gallery’s neighbors in Technology Neighborhood One include the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center, the BMW Information Technology Research Center and Timken’s worldwide powertrain research and development center.

BBS dean to broaden international scope

Claude Lilly, new dean of Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, is moving forward with a plan to internationalize the educational and networking opportunities for the college. In the coming months, a new director will be in place to lead all the college’s international programs, which range from study-abroad opportunities to international research.

Before joining Clemson, Lilly served as dean of the Belk College of Business and the James J. Harris Chair of Risk Management and Insurance at UNC Charlotte.

He was professor of risk management and insurance and director of the Center for Risk Management and Insurance Research at Florida State University. He was also a faculty member and the director of the Center for Insurance Research at the University of Southern California.

Clemson in the Peace Corps

Peace Corps volunteer Terry Green ’03, pictured left with Nathan Martin ’03 in Peru, is working in Chulucanas, Piura, where he’s developing sustainable business practices among small artisan groups.

Clemson is already ranked 21st among medium-sized colleges and universities for the number of its alumni who are Peace Corps volunteers. Now, the Peace Corps Master’s International Program has added Clemson as one of its new university partners.

Designed for Americans who want to earn graduate degrees while serving as Peace Corps volunteers abroad, the program will enable students to enroll in agricultural education, forestry resources or applied economics and statistics and then combine their academic knowledge with a practical, international field assignment. For more information, go to www.grad.clemson.edu or www.peacecorps.gov/masters.

Clemson’s ‘Focus’ on global warming

Clemson hosts Focus the Nation’s “Global Warming Solutions for America” kickoff on Jan. 25, 2008, with a “Green Expo” and national environmental leader Eban Goodstein.

Focus the Nation is an educational initiative at more than a thousand colleges, universities and K-12 schools to discuss global warming solutions for America.

Clemson’s Focus the Nation activities are part of the Clemson Environmental Committee’s efforts to raise awareness all across campus. It partners with the University’s Solid Green, Students for Environmental Awareness and others.

To learn more about the January event and other efforts for global warming solutions, go to www.clemson.edu/focus.

You can contribute to Focus the Nation to help Solid Green projects and other University environmental efforts. Gifts can be made to the Clemson University Foundation, designated for “Focus the Nation,” and sent to PO Box 1889, Clemson, SC 29633-1889.

Online leadership degree

First class of new Youth Development Leadership online master’s degree program

The first class of Clemson’s new Youth Development Leadership online master’s degree program is about to graduate and start making waves throughout the country.

The innovative program — delivered through the distance education office of the College of Health, Education and Human Development — is a 37-credit-hour interdisciplinary degree that prepares students to work in youth-serving agencies.

The current graduating class includes students from California, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. They work in such fields as 4-H, YMCA, the military, school counseling, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, Department of Juvenile Justice and others.

Students take two accelerated courses each term and complete the program in two years. They visit the Clemson campus for three days each year for group activities. For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/youthdevelopment.

Apply to Clemson, then to Honors College

Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College is changing. Starting this year, after students apply to Clemson, they’ll need to apply to the Honors College rather than waiting for an invitation. Students are encouraged to apply early.

In addition, the Honors College has created two pathways. The University Honors Program is for students who are very focused. This traditional honors curriculum provides stimulation and challenge in the general education requirements and, in the junior and senior years, in-depth study and research in the student’s major field.

The Calhoun Scholars Program is for the honors student who wants a broad undergraduate experience that includes culturally enriching events, leadership in student organizations, international study and public service activities.

For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/cuhonors.

Glover named to U.S. Presidents Cup Team

Lucas Glover makes history as the first former Clemson golfer to be on the U.S. Presidents Cup team.

Former Clemson All-American Lucas Glover ’02 was named to the U.S. Presidents Cup team by captain Jack Nicklaus. Glover is the first Clemson golfer to be named to the U.S. team.

He wasn’t the only Clemson golfer to have a strong year. Jonathan Byrd ’00, who was a senior on Clemson’s 2000 team and Glover’s teammate for three years, reached the final stage of the FedExCup Playoffs this year and won the John Deere Classic. He has already qualified for the 2008 Masters.

Quiet Reflections

A 128-page, full-color book by nature photographer Tommy Wyche and naturalist John Garton captures the beauty of the Clemson Experimental Forest in all four seasons and just in time for Christmas giving.

The coffee-table book showcases the natural and cultural history of the University’s 17,500-acre forest. The Clemson Forest is an outstanding example of conservation and home to more than 195 species of birds and 900 species of plants, including some of the largest trees of their kind in the state, as well as several rare or endangered species. It shelters creatures ranging from tiny cricket frogs and zebra swallowtail butterflies to bald eagles, bobcats and black bears.

Quiet Reflections is scheduled for delivery in late November. Proceeds go to the Clemson Forest operating fund to support research and education programs.

To order a copy, go to www.clemson.edu/psapublishing or call toll free (888) 772-2665.

Thank you for helping Clemson outscore the competition!

Thanks to thousands of alumni and friends who support Clemson, the University moved up three spots in the U.S.News & World Report ranking to 27th among the nation’s 164 public doctoral-granting universities. South Carolina’s top public university is now tied with Miami University (Ohio), just behind Purdue, Connecticut and Iowa, and just ahead of Michigan State and Virginia Tech.

When you make your 2008 gift to the Clemson Fund by December 31, you will receive a free 2008 Clemson calendar and be entered into a drawing to win four tickets to the Clemson vs. Florida State basketball game. To make a secure gift online, go to www.clemson.edu/isupportcu.