Alumnus: Gift reflects value of education

Published: October 4, 2010

CLEMSON — The way Ron Taylor sees it, his decision to contribute to his alma mater boiled down to just one thing: "It is the right thing to do," said Taylor, 1965 chemical engineering alumnus.

Taylor's most recent $100,000 gift to The Will to Lead: A Campaign for Clemson will be divided equally between the President's Leadership Circle — an unrestricted fund that allows the university to apply money where it is most needed — and the Math Out of the Box program, an inquiry-based math curriculum for elementary school students.

"My support of the Leadership Circle is to give flexibility to Jim Barker in this very difficult economic time," Taylor said. "I do it also to honor the fantastic work Jim has done for Clemson's reputation and for Dr. R.C. Edwards, our longtime president who deserves a great deal of credit for the strength of Clemson."

Specifically, the gift will help connect the Math Out of the Box program with graduates of the Call Me MISTER program, which trains teachers from diverse backgrounds to serve in economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.

"It is an honor to be entrusted with this gift," said Dot Moss, director of Math Out of the Box. "For several summers, Ron Taylor has supported our work with the MISTER interns that come to Clemson from all over South Carolina. This gift will allow us also to support MISTERS who have graduated and are teaching in South Carolina schools.

"We are so fortunate to have engineering alumni like Ron who have a passion for improving education in the pipeline that feeds into Clemson University," Moss said.

This is hardly Taylor's first experience in philanthropy. A former member of the Clemson University Foundation board, Taylor also was instrumental in several major gifts connected with Dow Chemical Co., including the establishment of the Dow Chemical Engineering Alumni Endowment.

Gifts spearheaded by Taylor at Dow have provided scholarships as well as equipment for facilities, such as the chemical engineering department's unit operations lab, an undergraduate teaching lab that provides students with hands-on plant experience in an academic setting.

A separate endowment bearing the Taylor family name provides need-based scholarships for freshman engineering majors.

"I give out of appreciation for a life-changing education and to give others in need an opportunity to receive the benefits of education," Taylor said. "In my mind, it's not optional, it's an obligation."

"These gifts are directly related to the value my education brought to my career," Taylor said. "They also reflect my deep personal feeling of respect for the late Dr. Charlie Littlejohn and the great staff in Earle Hall and my willingness to return resources to Clemson so others can gain that same advantage."

The Will to Lead: A Campaign for Clemson is a multiyear effort to raise at least $600 million to support Clemson University students and faculty.

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