Barker reports on progress at general faculty meeting

Published: May 10, 2012

CLEMSON — Clemson University wrapped up the 2011-12 academic year Thursday with the presentation of faculty awards, a salute to retiring faculty members and an update on the 2020 plan from President James F. Barker.

In his remarks at the year-end general faculty meeting, Barker said a review of the Clemson 2020 plan is under way after its first year of implementation.  

“The plan is not written in stone,” he said, but is flexible to adjust to changing conditions and opportunities. “I am hearing from faculty that our plan needs to have a strong, clear focus on the core of the core, which is the classroom experience. I agree.”

Barker said progress has been made on new facilities and compensation goals, but the university needs to focus on the core campus and cost-of-living pay adjustments for all faculty and staff.

“It’s too early to say what the final state budget will be, but state revenues are increasing and a modest state pay raise is a possibility for the fiscal year beginning July 1. We will keep you updated on that,” he said. 

Barker also announced that Clemson had a record number of undergraduate and graduate applications for fall 2012, and yield increased. Based on paid deposits due May 1, officials expect a freshman class of approximately 3,400.

The meeting also is a time to recognize outstanding faculty and staff achievements.

Joshua Summers, associate professor of mechanical engineering and IDEaS Professor, received the Frank A. Burtner Award for Excellence in Advising. The award, named for a former faculty member and adviser, is given for contributions to student development in leadership, devotion to duty and service to students.

Since joining the faculty in 2002, Summers has been adviser of five competed Ph.D. dissertations, 30 master’s theses and five master’s projects. He also serves as an adviser to undergraduate students in both the Calhoun Honors College and the Creative Inquiry program.

The Class of 1940 Bradbury Award for outstanding contributions to Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College went to Kerry S. Smith, associate professor genetics and biochemistry. Smith has been very involved with the honors college, serving on the Calhoun Honors College Committee, reviewing honors college applications and serving on the selection committees for the National Scholars and Goldwater Scholars programs. He has mentored 23 honors students’ dissertations and has taught several honors courses in his department.

Bert McCarty, professor in the School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, received the Godley-Snell Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research. McCarty is an internationally recognized expert on turfgrass maintenance and sod production. He has more than 100-refereed publications to his credit, along with eight books that he wrote or edited. His “Best Golf Course Management Practices,” now in its third edition, is a bible for groundskeepers and a textbook for turf management students. His best-selling “Weeds of Southern Turfgrass” is the most successful Extension publication in the United States, with more than 50,000 copies sold to date.

The Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research was presented to two faculty: Apparao Rao, the R.A. Bowen Professor of Physics, and Varun Grover, the William S. Lee Distinguished Professor of Information Systems.

Rao is leader in developing nanoscale materials. At a scale of 10 to the negative ninth, or one-billionth of a meter, these materials have a much greater surface-to-volume ratio than other materials, which can lead to unusual and often very useful properties. Rao and his team invented a way to make tiny, shock-absorbing carbon springs that can protect delicate electronics like cell phones and have advanced the development of electromechanical nanosensors that can warn of toxic chemicals in the air.

Grover has published extensively in the information systems field, with more than 200 publications in refereed journals. He consistently ranks among the top five information systems researchers in the world based on the number of publications in the top six information systems journals. He recently was ranked as one of the most influential researchers in the world based on the citation impact of his work.

John DesJardins, assistant professor of bioengineering, received the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Mentoring in Creative Inquiry. DesJardins is directing or co-directing six Creative Inquiry projects involving 220 students. Projects range from “Creative Calculus in Biomedicine” to “Designing Medical Technology for the Developing World” to Freshman/Senior Design and Mentoring Experiences in Bioengineering.” Nominations for the Bradley Award come from students who are engaged in Creative Inquiry.

Also recognized Thursday were faculty members who are retiring and receiving emeritus status.

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