DATE: May 09, 2008

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

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

Clemson confers 2,333 degrees; Rep. Dan Cooper receives honor

CLEMSON — More than 2,300 degrees were conferred Friday during commencement ceremonies at Clemson University. An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was presented to S.C. Rep. Daniel T. Cooper.

“I am humbled by and unbelievably proud of this honor,” Cooper said. “Clemson University is not just a place to get an education but also to gain a family.”

In reflecting on his days at Clemson, Cooper said he learned that hard work and humility are imperative to a successful life.

“If you take anything away from my address to you today, take away the knowledge that there is no substitute for hard work and that a little humility will serve you well,” he said. “Recognize and accept your strengths and weaknesses.”

A native of Anderson County, Cooper is chairman of the South Carolina House Ways and Means Committee. He has served continuously in the S.C. House of Representatives since 1991, where he has been a member of the Medical, Military and Municipal Affairs Committee; the Education and Public Works Committee; and the Ways and Means Committee, which he has chaired since 2005. He also serves on the Joint Bond Review Committee and is the only Upstate member of the State Budget and Control Board.

The Norris Medal, which is given each year to the graduating student who is judged to be the best all-around by the university scholarships and awards committee, was presented to Ryan Spurrier, who received a degree in mathematical sciences. A native of Columbia, Spurrier was a National Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member. He was a member of Pi Mu Epsilon math honor society, Golden Key International Honor Society, Mortar Board Honor Society and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, as well as the Dixon Fellows Program. He was involved with the Clemson Wesley Foundation, with which he took several community service trips to the Bahamas and New Orleans.

The Norris Medal was established under the terms of the will of D.K. Norris, a life trustee of Clemson.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award is given annually “in recognition of the recipient's influence for good, excellence in maintaining high ideals of living and genuine and disinterested service to others.” The award, named in honor of the first president of the New York Southern Society, was established by an agreement between the society and Clemson University. This year’s student recipients are Stephen Lareau of Charlotte, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering, and Kristen Purvis of Clemson, who received a degree in psychology.

Lareau was a National Scholar and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Golden Key, Pi Sigma Tau Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, Omicon Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. He was involved in student government and Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Purvis was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Psi Chi, Golden Key, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Alpha Lambda Delta. She was a member of the Taps Yearbook staff and served as its managing editor this year. She served as president and treasurer of Clemson’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and was a member of the Psychology Club and the Dixon Fellows Program.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan non-student recipient is Beth Kunkel, professor of food science and human nutrition. Kunkel leads a creative inquiry class that is conducting research to identify local food sources in the Clemson community to create a directory for local consumers. She serves on many university committees and was president of Faculty Senate last year. In the community, Kunkel serves on the board of the Clemson Free Clinic, helps organize the annual CROP Walk and donates food to Our Daily Bread food bank in Seneca. She is involved with the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina and has traveled on mission trips to Haiti for 10 years doing humanitarian work.

Of the 2,333 degrees conferred, 1,931 were bachelor’s degrees, 352 were master’s degrees and 50 were Ph.D.s.