DATE: December 20, 2007

CONTACT: Cal Becker, (864) 656-2174
bcalvin@clemson.edu

WRITER: Teresa C. Hopkins, (864) 656-1222
hopkin1@clemson.edu

Clemson graduates more than 1,000, awards honorary degree

CLEMSON – Just over 1,000 students crossed the stage at Littlejohn Coliseum Thursday during Clemson University’s winter graduation ceremony.

The graduates join a family more than 100,000 living Clemson alumni.

“You are now Clemson alumni. We are not a large group,” said university President James F. Barker, a 1970 Clemson graduate. “If we brought all of Clemson’s alumni back to campus from all over the world we would almost fit into Death Valley.”

There are more than 50 Clemson alumni clubs across the country.

The graduating seniors also are among the 90 percent of freshmen and seniors who reported they would attend Clemson again if given the chance, according to results from the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The survey found 92 percent of freshmen and seniors rate their entire educational experience as good or excellent.

“The college experience is shaped by many variables, and to hear that the Clemson students support the ongoing academic and social activities at the university tells us we are doing what needs to be done,” said Clemson Provost Dori Helms.

During the ceremony, an honorary doctorate of humanities was presented to Charleston architect Frank Lucas.

Lucas graduated from Clemson in 1959 and has been an advocate for Clemson in the years since.  A charter member of the Presidents Club and an IPTAY member, Lucas served three terms as president of the Clemson Advancement Foundation for Design and Building. He also served on the university’s Board of Visitors, the College of Architecture Advisory Council and the President’s Advisory Council, and has shared his expertise with students as a visiting lecturer for ethics, licensing law and professional practice. In 1992, he received the Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

Lucas serves as the 45th chancellor of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the first South Carolinian to hold the position. He is co-founder and chairman of LS3P Associates Ltd.

Of the 1,092 graduates, 796 received bachelor’s degrees, 245 received master’s degrees and 51 received Ph.D.s. A bachelor of science degree in computer science was awarded posthumously to Adam Joseph Newton and a bachelor of arts degree in history was awarded posthumously to Marc Anthony Cocozzella.