Spring 2006 -- Vol. 60, No. 2

Kiplinger best buy

Clemson is one of the top public institutions providing the best education for the dollar according to Kiplinger magazine. The University is ranked 29th in the financial magazine’s yearly roundup of institutions providing a top quality education at reasonable prices.

The magazine researched more than 500 public colleges and universities across the United States to determine the list of the top 100 best buys. They balanced the cost of attending an institution with its financial aid, student retention and graduation rates.

At Clemson, in-state students pay $7,841 a semester for tuition, fees, and room and board. No in-state freshman is paying full tuition this academic year, thanks to the University’s Palmetto Pact, a program that significantly increases scholarship and grant opportunities available to S.C. residents.

ΦΒΚ induction

The Phi Beta Kappa Society, America’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, selected Clemson as a new chapter in recognition of the University’s excellence in liberal arts and sciences. This spring, the society inducted its first class at Clemson (pictured here). For more on Phi Beta Kappa, go to www.clemson.edu/pbk.

BusinessWeek pick

Clemson’s business program has reached top-20 status, according to BusinessWeek magazine’s ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Schools.

Clemson’s program is 19th among the public colleges and universities on the list, and 45th on the magazine’s comprehensive list of public and private institutions.

BusinessWeek based its rankings on SAT scores, ratio of full-time faculty to students, average class size, the percentage of business majors with internships and the hours students spend each week on schoolwork, along with surveys of nearly 80,000 business majors at top schools and undergraduate recruiters.

3M puts Clemson at optical top

A gift from 3M Corp. makes Clemson the only university in the nation, and one of only a few in the world, to have industry-level optical fiber fabrication capabilities. The company has given Clemson a modified chemical vapor deposition lathe worth almost $900,000, an important tool in making glass rods used to create optical fiber.

Optical fiber is crucial to the Internet and many other conveniences. It’s important to automotive, medical and industrial systems as well as homeland security and defense such as high power laser systems and chemical and biological agent detection.

Clemson’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET) supports optical materials research and development from concept to commerce. COMSET is the nation’s academic focal point for research into organic and inorganic optical materials, especially optical fiber fabrication.

Among the center’s contracts is a $1 million annual Department of Defense contract on high power fiber lasers. With the backing of the J.E. Sirrine Textile Foundation and 3M, the center has been approved for a $10 million endowed professorship in optical fibers as part of the S.C. Research Center of Economic Excellence Program.

Petty and Clemson drive safety

Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE), in partnership with Clemson’s Automotive Safety Research Institute (ASRI), is launching its new Safe Driving Program.

RPDE and Clemson will develop a unique research-based program, initially designed for high-risk drivers aged 16 to 25. It will teach safe driving skills and safety education to participants through classroom instruction and on-track experiences by placing students in hazardous driving situations in a controlled and safe environment.

Kyle Petty, a longtime advocate of driver safety for young adults, will serve as the spokesman for the initiative. He’s an eight-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Champion, racing legend Richard Petty, known simply as “The King.”

ASRI, the safety research arm of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), will conduct research to validate the new program. Kim Alexander, executive director of ASRI, will lead the research team and serve as Clemson’s spokesperson. For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/autoresearch/ASRI, contact Alexander at kalxndr@clemson.edu or (864) 656-0664, or contact RPDE at 1-800-BE-PETTY.

Debating powerhouse

Clemson students placed third in the nation during the recent National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competing with the likes of Indiana University, the University of Miami, University of Washington, the Naval Academy and West Point. They also finished third last year.

Pictured from left are team coach Charles Starkey, philosophy professor and Fellow of the Robert J. Rutland Institute for Ethics; students Ben Denison, Ruben Kemmerlin, Alyssa Mander, Jim Moore, Danielle Tardiff and Dani Scoggins; and institute director Dan Wueste.

The team is sponsored by the Rutland Institute for Ethics and the philosophy and religion department. The Rutland Institute promotes activities to help students, faculty and the community develop skills to deal with ethical issues.

Unlocking DNA

Secondary school students and teachers from across the state are learning how to conduct genetic analyses at the S.C. DNA Learning Center. Nearly 1,500 students, from more than 24 public and private schools, have visited the center since it opened last year.

Students get hands-on experience extracting their own DNA, performing DNA fingerprinting and much more in the center’s laboratories. More than 52 middle and high school teachers have completed graduate courses in new teaching methods for DNA science, forensics and biotechnology. The center also offers programs for community groups.

The S.C. DNA Learning Center is sponsored by Clemson’s biological sciences and genetics/biochemistry departments, the National Science Foundation, the Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute SC LIFE project. For more information, go online or contact Bob Ballard, center director, at ballard@clemson.edu or (864) 656-3579.

TGC birthday run

The University’s celebration of the 200th birthday of founder Thomas Green Clemson continued in March with a 10K road race from Clemson to Pendleton. Winning runners, pictured from left, are David Payne, Richard Nova and Peter Boardman.

The Thomas Green Clemson Road Race, sponsored by the University’s campus recreation department, began at Clemson’s historic Fort Hill home on campus and ended at Farmers Hall on the square in Pendleton where the first discussions of establishing Clemson College took place. For more on the bicentennial celebra-tion of the University’s founder, go to the Web site.

‘Hallowed Ground’

Clemson’s Military Heritage Plaza has received seven new medals — Korean Defense Service, Armed Forces Service, Kosovo Campaign, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary, Global War on Terrorism Service, Afghanistan Campaign and Iraq Campaign. The plaza now has 64 medals on display, and every one of them was won by at least one Clemson veteran.

Members of the original committee that raised funds for the Military Heritage Plaza held a ceremony for the new medals and a display of the Medal of Honor in December. Bill Laffoday ’51 and Tom Turner ’51 led the dedication.

Pictured are Clemson military men representing all alumni who served in conflicts and wars for which the new medals were added.

From left are Willie Archie ’57, Clemson Corps board member who served in the Korean War; John Kuppinger, sociology major who served in Afghanistan and Iraq; Curtis White ’80, Clemson professor who served in Afghanistan; Jeff Fulton, prebusiness major who served in Afghanistan and Iraq; Justin Farmer, secondary education major who served in Afghanistan and Iraq; and Col. Lance Young, Air Force ROTC detachment commander, holding a picture of Brandon Edge ’01, who is serving in Iraq.

GO with the TIGERS!

For 2007 Clemson football away games, be sure to plan your trips with the Alumni Association. Call (864) 656-2345 for the latest information on official Clemson Away-Game Headquarters and information on Pregame Tailgate gatherings, or visit the Web at alumni.clemson.edu.

2007 Tiger Football

Sept. 3 — Florida State (One Clemson – Solid Orange)
Sept. 8 — Louisiana-Monroe (Hall of Fame)
Sept. 15 — Furman (Family Weekend)
Sept. 22 — at N.C. State
Sept. 29 — at Georgia Tech
Oct. 6 — Virginia Tech
Oct. 13 — open date
Oct. 20 — Central Michigan (Homecoming)
Oct. 27 — at Maryland
Nov. 3 — at Duke
Nov. 10 — Wake Forest (IPTAY Day/Youth Day)
Nov. 17 — Boston College (Football Reunion Day)
Nov. 24 — at South Carolina

Green housing

Clemson’s “Quad” has gone green. Fraternity and sorority housing on the Quad has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The seven residence halls met an extensive list of requirements including sustainable sites, water and energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and innovation, and design process. Some special features are low-flow faucets, showers and toilets; energy-efficient appliances; large windows for natural light and recycling collection stations. The buildings were constructed using recycled materials.

The University is committed to pursuing LEED silver certification for all major University capital improvement projects. Clemson’s Advanced Materials Research Laboratory is also LEED-certified.

New in CES

The College of Engineering and Science has a new School of Computing to enable Clemson to respond to emerging areas within the field of computing and to better prepare students for a society in which computing is integral. The college has also established the Department of Engineering and Science Education to improve educational methods and curriculum at the university level and to help improve K-12 education in math, science and engineering.

No. 1 Disney drummer

Tiger Band member David Agee is one of only 20 students selected nationwide for the “Disney Resort All American College Band.” He’ll perform at the Disneyland® Resort in Anaheim, Calif., for nine weeks this summer. He was chosen as the No. 1 drummer in a national audition earlier this year.

Packaging science leader

Professor Kay Cooksey has been named to the Cryovac Endowed Chair in Clemson’s packaging science department. Clemson is the only university in the Southeast, and one of only six in the nation, that offers a four-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree in packaging science. The nine-member faculty has extensive industrial experience, enriching academic preparation with real-world learning.

Cooksey will continue to teach food and health-care packaging and be involved in the development of new graduate courses. She’ll promote creative inquiry and collaborative projects with other departments, serve as graduate admission coordinator and pursue industry funding and federal support.

For more on Clemson’s packaging science program, go to www.clemson.edu/pkgsci.

Faculty Senate goes gold

Clemson’s Faculty Senate, the faculty governing body, is in its 50th year of serving as a link between teachers and administration.

Pictured here, President Jim Barker presents Beth Kunkel, food science and human nutrition professor and Faculty Senate president, with a plaque noting the Faculty Senate’s milestone at the Clemson vs. Maryland game in November.

The 35-member senate reviews and recommends academic policies and procedures, handles grievance procedures, makes recommendations concerning the welfare of the faculty and participates in the selection of top University administrators. For more on Faculty Senate, go to www.lib.clemson.edu/fs.