Making an Impact Across the University

Clemson has an abundant nature resource on and around its campus. Kelly's project addressed the challenge of limited daily time spent in outdoor spaces for students, faculty and staff at Clemson University. By enhancing opportunities for outdoor engagement, this initiative supported the broader goal of improving health and well-being across campus. Key strategies included identifying underutilized spaces, fostering cross-departmental partnerships, and integrating outdoor access into campus infrastructure and daily routines. This work directly supports Clemson Elevate by promoting occupational and environmental well-being, with positive ripple effects on emotional and physical health. By embedding outdoor access into the fabric of campus life, Kelly's project contributed to a healthier, more connected Clemson community.

Every department has a Registration Coordinator to manage class schedules and ensure students can register for those classes. Most coordinators have multiple roles and lack a cohesive networking and professional development community, similar to the one for advisors. The establishment of a community would foster stronger relationships and support collaboration between coordinators. The resulting cooperation would ease the challenges departments face with greater competition for campus resources. The fellowship creates a space to relieve stress during periods of high activity, while also providing a platform to share best practices.

With Registration Services as an active partner, the community can receive updates immediately, access stored documents, and obtain a single answer to questions posed by coordinators. This supports consistency and increased compliance across campus by fostering a greater understanding. While an additional communications tool may seem daunting, Registration Coordinators currently use the selected platform, Microsoft Teams, for orientation registration. Like the Orientation Group, the Coordinator Community Group provides both general and targeted channels to foster relationships and minimize unnecessary traffic.

The resulting communication will help alleviate stress during periods of high activity, providing a space for casual conversation as well as a communal area where users can consistently obtain answers to questions posed to Registration Services. The consistency and resulting collaboration facilitate the registration process, resulting in students having the number one student experience that Clemson seeks.

According to the American Psychological Association’s (2023) Work in America Survey, 94% of workers said it is “very or somewhat important that their workplace be a place where they belong.”  Abby’s project is a School of Nursing New Staff Mentoring Program.  The School of Nursing has an excellent faculty mentoring program; however, until now, there has not been a similar program for staff.  The New Staff Mentoring Program seeks to create a culture where experience is shared, talent is nurtured, and no one has to grow alone.  More than just skill-building, this Mentoring Program is about fostering a sense of belonging, which evidence shows is an essential component of a successful work environment.  This program aims to enhance the engagement and retention of new staff by establishing mentoring connections, facilitating mentor-mentee matches, and providing support to ensure both parties feel prepared. Additionally, it offers training resources through Canvas Modules.

Through countless studies, education abroad has been proven to be a great benefit to students. It boosts their personal and professional growth by teaching them skills, such as independence, adaptability, and interpersonal communication. Each year, Clemson sends over 1,500 students all over the world to study abroad, but most of them cannot speak to their experience beyond what coursework they took abroad and where they traveled after returning to the U.S.

Allison's project aims to expand the resources that education abroad personnel provide to students so that they can articulate their experience abroad in a more profound way and to teach them how to integrate those experiences into their personal and professional lives, thereby promoting the Clemson experience and making them more desirable to future employers.

The goals of this project will be achieved by:

• Hosting a workshop that encourages students to reflect on their experiences abroad and how it has changed their values, perspectives, and routines.
• Hosting a workshop in collaboration with the Center for Career and Professional Development to assist students in fine-tuning their resumes, elevator pitches, and professional branding to reflect the skills that they honed while abroad in line with the Clemson Core Competencies.
• Developing content about personal and professional goal setting that is accessible to students prior to departure and after their return
• Creating a newsletter and improving online resources to advertise the number of opportunities that students have to engage in the international community both locally and abroad, including post-graduation opportunities

As an Institutional Review Board (IRB) Analyst for the Office of Research Compliance (ORC), Shaun Fine set out to bring an AI chatbot to ORC's website. The goal is for the AI chatbot to be a supplemental tool to help faculty, staff and students find information on the website and get potential questions answered. This chatbot will help to eliminate the time it takes to respond to frequently asked questions via email. Since there are multiple units in the ORC, this chatbot will not only benefit the office but also benefit the researchers who submit applications for review. The benefit to the researchers would be twofold. First, the chatbot will answer their questions if it isn’t too complex. Second, the information that the chatbot gives the researcher will educate them. With that education, they will be able to pass that knowledge on to their colleagues or their students. This will make the application submission process more efficient and effective for everyone involved.

Casey's project focused around providing additional support to new Clemson students as they transition to college. For several years, the University has hosted one Welcome Week full of large-scale, high-energy social events that connect students with one another. While Welcome Week successfully meets the needs for students' social connection in week one, there is a gap in targeted support for students after they begin classes; they are still learning new routines and navigating new independence. They continue to have great needs for connection, campus resources, and confidence to be successful -- research shows the first six weeks are a critical time for helping students meet those needs.

Using models like the New Student Experience Framework, Casey developed a structured framework for Weeks of Welcome: five additional weeks of themed programming connected to learning outcomes based on each step of a student's transition. Casey began by seeking buy-in from other areas and finding intentional ways to include key campus partners whose work also focuses on new student orientation, transition, and retention. Through collaboration with partners in enrollment management, student affairs, undergraduate learning, and the Clemson community, they developed a robust offering of events for students, as well as several opportunities to connect with peer leaders. Welcome Week Leaders and Residential Community Mentors played critical roles in following up with new students, checking in on their well-being, and connecting them to campus resources when needed, all throughout the first semester.

As the University works to provide the No. 1 Student Experience, it is important that we begin with our newest students in mind. As we continue to establish Weeks of Welcome as an annual tradition, this framework will equip us to take a collaborative, campuswide  approach to doing just that.

For study abroad to deliver maximum value, students must feel confident that their international coursework will transfer seamlessly, keeping them firmly on track for graduation. The existing course approval process, however, is often a source of confusion and frustration, consuming valuable time for both students and staff.

Sabine’s CU Grow Project introduces a multi-tiered resource ecosystem built for maximum clarity and efficiency. Designed for the modern student, this mobile-first integrated system ensures approvals are managed seamlessly on the go and delivers a frictionless process, including:

• Instant Access: The Central Hub is optimized for smartphones, ensuring students can access all documentation and track status checks anytime, anywhere.
• Essential Guides: Concise guides and targeted flyers addressing common student transfer scenarios.
• Visual Learning: Step-by-step video tutorials guiding students through every stage of the process.
• Personalized Help: Twice-weekly drop-in hours offer live, personalized, and real-time assistance for complex issues.

This project is a direct contribution to the Clemson Elevate commitment of providing the No. 1 student experience. By replacing confusion with clarity and streamlining course approvals, we ensure students spend less time navigating complicated procedures and more time dedicated to their life-changing study abroad experience.

Sarah developed a lunch-and-learn series where library employees can enjoy a meal while engaging in short, informal professional development presentations. The inaugural session shared insights from a statewide librarian conference, offering a casual and efficient way to spread knowledge and strengthen connections across departments. Future sessions will remain simple, collaborative, and focused on fostering community and continuous learning.

Recognizing families as essential partners in student success, the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences launched CHAMPS — the named CECAS Parent & Family Experience. CHAMPS (Campus to Home Alignment through Meaningful Partnership & Support) connects parents and supporters to the Clemson experience, giving families practical ways to champion growth and be active partners in their student’s journey.

Anchored in the College’s My Clemson Journey framework, the initiative introduces intentional touchpoints — including specialized onboarding tracks, timely communications, and tangible take-home tools — designed to help families understand key milestones, engage in meaningful conversations, and provide encouragement. The initiative delivers “right-time, right-topic” resources and equips parents and supporters with prompts to celebrate progress, encourage resilience, and strengthen their student’s confidence — from home.

By connecting campus and home, CHAMPS complements the University’s Parent & Family Programs and strengthens a network of families who are informed, engaged, and ready to champion success through every step of the Clemson journey.

Sharea's project focuses on improving her department’s equipment inventory management. Currently, the department lacks an effective system for tracking non-capital assets. To address this, Sharea is developing a process that utilizes our existing AIM AssetWorks system to track equipment through QR codes while also managing maintenance, service requests, and training resources.

The new system will allow staff to submit service requests directly by scanning a QR code. Two unique QR codes will be assigned to each piece of equipment—one for tracking its location and maintenance history, and another that links to training videos on proper operation and upkeep. This dual approach will not only improve accountability but also help staff quickly access the information they need.

Sharea had the pleasure of working closely with Keith Jones, Cody Price, and Trinket Hurlburt on this project, and their guidance was invaluable. By integrating this system into AIM, our custodial department will gain the ability to track equipment more accurately, identify recurring issues, and analyze trends related to specific equipment or brands. This data will support smarter purchasing decisions and long-term cost savings for the department.

Ultimately, Sharea believes this system will strengthen our ability to operate efficiently and support our goal of being the Premier Service Team—striving every day to deliver the No. 1 student experience.

Clemson University Student Health Services (SHS) is working with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to build a new health center on campus.  Changes in the workplace are challenging, so Allison's project focused on providing support for her colleagues during this transition.  After meeting with her mentor and supervisor, Allison determined that the best way to carry out this project was by forming a committee within SHS to collect questions and concerns from the SHS staff and pass along to the MUSC team. Committee members were selected from different departments including medical, counseling and psychological services, and administration.  The committee members will collect information and concerns from the staff in their departments and then collectively present those at the regular MUSC meetings. They will also relay information from MUSC and updates to our colleagues so there is more transparency, and everyone feels like an involved member of the team. The goal of this project is to create a way for all employees at SHS to feel heard and addressed without overwhelming the MUSC team with questions that may have already been answered.  It is Allison's hope that this will continue in the future to bridge the gap between Clemson and MUSC in our new partnership and improve the satisfaction of employees with their roles in Student Health.

Taylor's CU Grow project focused on the expansion of the Sustainability Leadership Program (SLP), a student-focused extracurricular initiative designed to prepare students for successful careers in sustainability. The program, which students apply to join, features a five-part series of events that bring together speakers from multiple disciplines to explore key sustainability topics. Each session includes a short networking event, an industry panel, and dinner roundtables to encourage deeper discussion and professional connections.

This semester, Taylor's project centered on expanding the program to include students from multiple colleges, strengthening communication and expectations within the cohort, and developing tangible takeaways for participants to share their experience. Through collaborations with Clemson Online, they introduced Canvas as a platform to maintain ongoing communication and enhance the program’s structure and introduced a digital Credly badge alongside the certificate of completion to recognize participants’ achievements on platforms like LinkedIn.

The impact of this project extends beyond program logistics; it creates a more inclusive, career-focused experience that empowers students with essential “green skills,” meaningful industry connections, and tools to confidently pursue sustainability-related careers.

In 2025, graduating high school seniors were accepted into five to six colleges on average, according to a survey by Carnegie.

Yield emails are a key part of a college or university’s strategy to get accepted students to enroll by focusing on the value of the University or degree program over other options.

To make sure the yield emails being sent by the College of Science were addressing the topics that students wanted to learn more about, Cindy interviewed 60 incoming first-year students along with 20 undergraduates who had completed at least one year as Clemson students. In addition, Cindy interviewed unit heads to identify distinguishing factors for each of the College of Science’s eight majors.

Using a data-driven approach, Cindy revamped the College’s yield emails to be major specific and address research, job outcomes and non-classroom opportunities – topics that students identified as important and informative in their college decision-making. By addressing potential students’ interests at the closest level (major vs. department or College), the aim is to build stronger connections that lead to students enrolling at Clemson.

 The emails will serve as templates in future years.

To provide the No. 1 student experience, auditorium classrooms need to be equipped with professional audio outputs. Currently, a majority of the auditorium classrooms lack professional sound equipment for classroom lecturers, which complicates the recording process.

Having these audio outputs installed in these classrooms will make recording lectures and events easier. It will enable professional sound from the lectern to be captured in any video recordings. Having easily accessible XLR outputs will enable anyone recording in these rooms to produce high-quality audio for their videos. This will be an additional benefit to any news media that may record there.

Dallas' project involves installing professional XLR audio output in auditorium classrooms by working with Classroom Technology and Facilities. There are 26 total rooms that need XLR audio outputs.  He will be focusing on 8 of the 26 rooms. These rooms were chosen to focus on because they are the most used for recording purposes. This project helps to provide the best possible experience for students at the university. The list of auditorium classrooms that he will be focusing on is ASC 111, Brackett 100, Daniel 105, Hardin 100, Strom 100, HUM G66, Poole 174, and Holtzendorff 100.

The next phase would be to outfit the other 18 classrooms. Dallas hopes that in future planning for auditorium classrooms, these audio outputs will be included in the rooms and budget.

The focus of Robin's project is to simplify the clinical clearance process for Clemson University’s nursing students. Implementing the Enrollment & Clinical Clearance Canvas will bring all key information – requirements, deadlines, forms, and FAQs – into one easy-to-find place. This means fewer emails, fewer questions, and better-prepared students.

Clemson University has about 850 undergraduate nursing majors. Roughly 720 students must be vetted through the School of Nursing’s clearance process, and about 650 of those students are actively in a clinical learning environment each semester with one or more of almost 20 clinical partners, including Prisma, AnMed, Bon Secours St. Francis, and Spartanburg Regional Health Systems. These students must complete the requirements, forms, and eLearning modules for the clinical partner to which they are assigned that semester.

Currently, these instructions and forms are distributed by email from two clinical clearance coordinators. By centralizing all clearance materials in one easily accessible location, we can improve accuracy, enhance compliance with clinical site requirements, and provide students with a clearer, more consistent process for clearance. 

"A clearer path to clinical readiness – supporting the No. 1 Student Experience."

SEAT proposes a collaborative initiative with University Housing and the Office of Community and Ethical Standards to enhance the Residential Experience Model (REM) for non-adjudicated Behavioral Concerns Housing cases. This partnership leverages communication as a key tool, integrating Restorative Justice circles and Conflict Resolution strategies to address issues such as roommate conflicts, vandalism, boundary violations, and situations that may create fear or apprehension, to name a few, yet this program allows experiential learning for students that easily translates to leadership along the way. Many of these principles, however, are already reflected in campus resources such as the Ombuds Office and the Rutland Institute for Ethics. SEAT seeks to unify these efforts into a single, collaborative space—creating more impactful conversations with students whose choices have led them to the conduct process and are experiencing conflict or uncertainty.

The current Clemson University fellowship portal serves approximately 95 percent undergraduate content. At Clemson, an estimated 240–250 graduate students receive fellowship funding each year, yet there is no centralized graduate fellowship portal. Information is fragmented across departments, which creates confusion for students and inefficiencies for staff.

The portal will be structured around the full fellowship journey—from application to award to ongoing programming—so graduate students know what to do at each step and where to get help. During the application phase, students will find clear instructions, required documents, timelines, and a fellowship resource library. There will be scheduled live-chat hours where students can speak with trained peer fellows to ask process questions and learn about available supports.

Once a student receives a fellowship, the portal will provide a defined onboarding pathway. Fellows will have access to one-on-one appointments, monthly newsletters with academic and community resources, event listings, and status updates that show where they are in their fellowship cycle. These updates will include reminders tied to key dates to help prevent funding gaps.

In the background, the system will track progress data across milestones to show how each student is moving through the process. These analytics will help identify overlaps, gaps, and points of risk so we can improve content, adjust timelines, and coordinate with departments. All features will follow accessibility and privacy standards and will be supported by clear ownership and update schedules to keep information accurate.

The Graduate School Fellowship Portal transforms the graduate experience through a holistic framework shaped like the top of a graduation cap—a square representing the full student cycle: Recruitment, Retention, Persistence, and Graduation.

• Recruitment: The portal highlights graduate fellowship funding opportunities, drawing prospective scholars by demonstrating institutional commitment to equity and access.
• Retention: Students remain engaged and financially secure through transparent, centralized information that minimizes uncertainty and supports well-being.
• Persistence: Integrated guidance, mentoring, and professional development resources sustain academic momentum and reduce attrition.
• Graduation: By connecting funding, support, and skill-building throughout the degree lifecycle, the portal ensures more scholars cross the stage—ready, resourced, and confident.

This portal is essential because it replaces scattered, undergraduate-focused information with a single, reliable system built for graduate fellows. It ensures equitable access to funding details and support, reduces avoidable funding gaps through clear milestones and reminders, and strengthens recruitment, retention, persistence, and graduation. It also lowers administrative burden by creating one source of truth and offers actionable data to improve programs over time. In short, the Fellowship Portal protects students, improves operations, and delivers on Clemson’s commitment to the number one student experience.

Jarvis' CU Grow project, TigerSafe, addresses the challenge of low awareness and engagement with Clemson’s official safety tools—such as the Rave Guardian app and emergency alerts—among students, faculty, and staff.

To meet this need, Jarvis created a safety-focused awareness initiative that includes interactive tabling events, Housing presentations, digital outreach, and collaborations with campus partners. A branded flyer, QR code, and a short instructional video (launching Fall 2026) help drive adoption and understanding.

This project supports Clemson Elevate’s “Every Student Thrives” strategic goal by promoting well-being, improving co-curricular engagement, and enhancing hands-on, student-centered learning experiences across campus. TigerSafe ensures that every Tiger feels informed, connected, and empowered to stay safe.

According to a Tow Center report, 60 percent of AI-generated search engine answers are confidently wrong. However, search engines are often one of the first places people go for information. When it is important, it’s best to turn to verified and authoritative sources, not search engines. The Ask Clemson concept was created to give residents of South Carolina media-level access to research-based answers provided by faculty, staff and students.

Ask Clemson supports all three pillars of Clemson Elevate. It transforms lives statewide and beyond by providing a new way for residents to access credible information by linking them with research and expertise from University personnel. It helps deliver the No. 1 student experience by allowing students to promote their research by responding to inquiries under faculty guidance. Lastly, the platform supports research by promoting more exposure to University research across the state.

As a natural extension of media relations, parts of Ask Clemson emerged from insights gained through monitoring the Clemson News email inbox. The process for residents to access research is called an Inquiry Journey. The steps include ask, route, respond, resolve and share. All residents do is ask. Clemson fulfills all other steps.

There is Our Clemson. There is Your Clemson. Now, there is Ask Clemson.

Emily's CU Grow project transforms a small section of Clemson’s main campus into a vibrant pocket prairie, showcasing sustainable landscape practices and environmental leadership. By replacing traditional landscape and turf areas with native grasses and wildflowers found in South Carolina’s piedmont prairie ecosystem, the site now supports pollinators, improves stormwater management, and reduces maintenance needs.  Landscape Services, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, aims to engage students, faculty, and staff through education, research opportunities, and community involvement.

Jason's CU Grow Project focused on Gifts of Real Property to the Clemson University Real Estate Foundation (CUREF). Gifts of Real Property include residential homes/land, commercial properties/land, farmland and timberland. Once donated to CUREF, the proceeds from the sale facilitated by CUREF benefit Clemson University in any area designated by the Real Property donor, including endowments, scholarships and athletics.

The challenge to CUREF is to provide Clemson University Development Officers, who are the fundraisers through their engagement with donors, with the necessary information to solicit Real Property donations.

The purpose of Jason's CU Grow Project was to empower Development Officers to solicit more donations of Real Property through the creation of a Quick Reference Guide for Real Property Donations. This Guide serves as a one-stop resource for Development Officers, providing a needed tool when a potential donation of Real Property presents itself. The intended impact of the project is to keep Real Property Donations at the forefront of conversations when Development Officers meet with donors, thereby increasing the amount of Real Property donations to CUREF and supporting the Fiercely Forward campaign to benefit Clemson University.

Many Clemson students are not yet familiar with the Clemson University Foundation, presenting an opportunity to increase awareness, spark early philanthropic interest, and strengthen the pipeline for CUF internships. To address this, Will designed a student-focused training that introduces the Clemson University Foundation, its mission, and the fundamentals of endowments – highlighting how philanthropic support directly influences the University experience and student access. This initiative builds understanding, trust, and engagement with future alumni and potential donors. 

Dwayne's project focused on making a standard operating procedure manual for maintaining the synthetic fields at the Snow Family Complex.

As the only person in the campus recreation department responsible for managing the synthetic fields, Dwayne felt it would be important to combine his knowledge and experience into one operating manual, with prioritized written steps followed by tutorial videos, pictures, charts and other documentation of maintenance procedures.

Dwayne believes this will enhance Clemson Elevate by keeping all the synthetic fields in pristine condition for the stakeholders who use them. This includes the University club sports organizations, intramurals, community members, and other visitors to the Snow Complex. There are also special events, including sports camps throughout the year and staff events.

The project will enable the next person to manage the fields to utilize all the information and experiences I have included in this manual, thereby eliminating much of the guesswork from the maintenance procedures.

Imagine that wild tigers were only able to be experienced through old photographs, paintings and drawings. Think about watching video footage of tigers and being captivated by their beauty and power; but knowing with a sinking heart that it was impossible to ever film them again. Our fierce mascot needs our protection now more than ever to ensure these hypothetical situations do not turn into reality and that they do not follow the path of so many incredible species that have gone extinct before them. The symbol of all things Clemson, the tiger paw, still represents a magnificent animal that roams free in the wild; Tigers United wants to ensure it remains that way for many future generations to come.

For Jenna's CU Grow project, she partnered with members of Tigers United to increase awareness of their goals and encourage engagement from members of Clemson University, the greater Clemson community, and beyond. The challenge this project addresses is the protection of our mascot, the wild tiger. With approximately 5,000 wild tigers left in the world, the time to act is now. As an animal lover and lifelong Clemson Tiger, Jenna felt called to partner with members of the Tigers United team in hopes of collaborating on ways to raise funding, foster partnerships and create lasting connections that can support the program now and in the future. More about Tigers United can be found on their website.

Jenna worked with Dr. Greg Yarrow and Dr. Hrishita Negi, the Director and Associate Director of Tigers United. As the Associate Director of UPIC, Jenna had the unique opportunity to work alongside several UPIC interns with Tigers United, each of whom had a different role on the team. She participated in weekly meetings with them and was able to help make connections with UPIC mentors across campus, which contributed to their cause. Current action items of the Tigers United team include continued marketing for the program, expanding membership of the newly reinstated Tigers 4 Tigers (the student organization for Tigers United), and implementing pertinent educational information into school curricula. 

The Student Employment Experience and Development (SEED) Program is a multifaceted approach to the enhancement of the Clemson experience for student employees, currently piloted within the Division of Student Affairs. This program targets career development for student staff members by aligning a curricular approach using the CCPD core competencies and supervisor development to provide self-reflection, skill-building, and connections with other student employees across the division. This program promotes the #1 student experience and elevates the Clemson degree with experiential learning opportunities and intentional experiences for student employees to enhance their marketability as graduates and begin their career journeys before leaving Clemson.

University Facilities stands in a unique position on campus. The staff occupies space throughout the campus, including residence halls, dining halls, academic spaces, athletic facilities, and outdoor areas. This position gives University Facilities the potential to encounter medical emergencies more frequently than other departments. Seizure First Aid is one area that is not covered by the American Red Cross First Aid Training. Courtney's project focuses on providing University Facilities employees with the knowledge needed to recognize, respond and assist students, faculty, staff and guests during a seizure-based medical emergency. 

Key steps have included:

• Ensuring buy-in from Facilities Workforce Development
• Utilizing current meeting schedules, Safety Growls and training calendars to distribute and deliver information
• Focusing on the additional impact Facilities can have on the campus by simply knowing how to react if the situation arises.

The impact of the project may only ever be experienced by a small population of our campus, but this population has a right to feel safe and acknowledged. The struggles this population faces are very real and potentially life-threatening. The impact of seizure first aid is significant, including health outcomes, safety, student empowerment and institutional awareness. Providing faster response during seizures reduces emergency room visits and leads to better outcomes for students with epilepsy, while increasing awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding epilepsy.

Many students face challenges in managing money, understanding credit, and preparing for financial independence during and after college. Tori's CU Grow project focuses on enhancing student success through financial well-being education. This project aims to increase students’ knowledge of core financial topics and connect them to practical resources and support systems available at Clemson and beyond.

A key component of this initiative is developing a financial well-being module for the CU 1000 course, ensuring every new student is introduced to essential financial concepts early in their Clemson Experience. The ultimate goal is to expand on this module and create a sustainable financial literacy program at Clemson. By embedding financial literacy into Clemson’s culture and creating sustainable programming, we can empower students with lifelong skills that promote confidence, independence and success, supporting Clemson’s mission to deliver the No. 1 student experience.