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CU Honors College

Dixon Fellows Program

Engage With Leading Clemson faculty

Founded in 1996, the Joseph E. and Caroline G. Dixon Fellows Program brings together some of Clemson University's best students and faculty to form a unique community dedicated to intellectual, cultural, and personal learning and growth.

Intellectually-talented students meet regularly with professors as a small group to learn and discuss a particular topic for the semester. Topics vary each semester, based on the Senior Fellows' interests and backgrounds. 

About the Program

At the heart of the Dixon Fellows experience is the mentor group, a small number of students (the Junior Fellows) meeting together with a professor (Senior Fellow) who acts as role-model, mentor, and guide.

These small groups meet regularly throughout the semester to engage in a variety of formal and informal programs and events, each designed to encourage discussion and conversation, and to enable the Junior Fellows to learn from the Senior Fellows, from invited guests, and from each other.

The Dixon Fellows are also invited to a number of special events—including lectures, receptions, and performances—involving the entire group. They are also able to participate in specialized seminars and workshops on a variety of practical matters, such as how to obtain an internship or how to prepare for an interview.

Students standing around a kitchen table as Dr. Pyle takes a selfie

Program Details

Eligibility

Admission to the program is highly selective and is only open to new first year and current Clemson Honors students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4.

Dixon Junior Fellows are selected on the basis of academic excellence, commitment to public service, leadership potential, and personal integrity. They form a community of Clemson University’s most exceptional students.

Junior Fellows are expected to:

  • Take their formal studies seriously, yet maintain a strong interest in the world of learning outside the classroom. This includes regular attendance to their Dixon Fellows group if selected.
  • Complete a 500 word reflection on the program they attended and what value they derived from it. 
  • Expand their educational horizons to include a broader exposure to foreign cultures, the arts, and the life of the mind.
  • Assume leadership roles at Clemson University, and to participate in a wide range of public service activities at Clemson and in the larger community.

Students apply for each semester they wish to participate. The program has changed to a semester-long program in order to allow students the option to participate in more than one program, and because academic and work schedules change from one semester to the other.

Application Process

Applications are submitted online in late August for the Fall Semester and in December/early January for the Spring Semester (once students know their Spring schedules). Information about the program is provided at Honors orientation sessions and in the weekly newsletter to students.

A complete application consists of:

  • The "Personal Information section" completely filled out, including your preferred course options.
  • Confirmation that you are able to attend the program during the time allotted and that you will comply with program requirements, including attendance and meaningful participation.

 

Senior Fellows

The following Clemson University faculty members are leading Dixon Fellows groups as Senior Fellows:

Senior Fellow Department Course Title Day Time
Mashal Saif Philosophy and Religion

Islam and the West (Fall semester)

Mashal Saif

Islam and the West

Islam and the West have often been presented as binary opposites in conflict with one another. In contrast to such depictions, this program provides students with a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between the two. We focus on history and architecture and reflect on what buildings such as the Alhambra and the Hagia Sophia teach us about the relationship between Islam and the West. The program also focuses on examining and thinking critically about Western media's depictions of Islam and Muslims. The larger aim of the program is to use our subject matter to think more broadly about the power of discourse, images and representation.

Thursdays 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Andrew Pyle Communication

Exploring Cultures of the World Through their Food (full academic year)

Andrew Pyle

Exploring Cultures of the World Through their Food

From rice and beans to dumplings, every culture has foods that are foundational to understanding life within that culture. Our Dixon Fellows study cultures of the world through shared culinary experiences – Fellows will gather in our home and learn about cultures together while eating a meal traditional to that culture. We meet once per month. Ahead of each meeting, I will provide a prompt and students will use that to find out something about the culture we are studying. Fellows will come to the meeting with something to share with the group, and we will learn together while we eat.

Thursdays 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MinJae Woo Public Health Sciences

Unlocking Clinical Insight in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (full academic year)

MinJae Woo

Unlocking Clinical Insight in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

This group introduces students to the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical settings, with a focus on extracting meaningful insights from unstructured medical text such as doctor’s notes. Students will learn how to use state-of-the-art AI tools to complement structured clinical data to empower more holistic understanding of patient care and clinical decision-making. To support this work, each student will have access to high-performance computing resources provided through the generous support of CCIT.

Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Alec Pappas Marketing

Personal Finance and Financial Planning (Fall semester)

Alec Pappas

Personal Finance and Financial Planning

Students will learn 1) creating long-term financial goals, checkpoints, and budgeting strategies to achieve those goals, 2) basic tax and retirement concepts (e.g., tax brackets, different retirement funds), 3) different types of investments and the risks associated with them, 4) the emotional side of money (money dials, partners, spending habits, fears), 5) behavioral finance and common mistakes or cautionary tales, and 6) an Ask Me Anything (AMA) about personal finance or investing.

Mondays 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Ethan Kung Mechanical Engineering

Probing human nature and reflections on worldviews through film and literature (full academic year)

Ethan Kung

Probing human nature and reflections on worldviews through film and literature

What specifically about “Romeo and Juliet” captures us? If you really think about it, it isn’t completely obvious why a story where everyone dies should resonate so much with the human heart. There seem to be specific “themes” permeating tales that have been wildly successful. What elements about these tales capture us and why? What do they reveal about human nature and subsequently about the nature of the reality that we live in? How can the materialistic worldview, or a spiritual worldview, interpret the things that humans find meaningful?

In this group we will explore these questions through examining films and literature. Meetings will consist of discussions or film viewing, depending on the week. We may also have occasional get-togethers for fun activities off-campus. The hope is that, in addition to gaining a better understanding of human nature and new perspectives, participants will also make long-lasting friendships to support each other in their journeys through life.

Date TBC Time TBC
Ally Driver Public Health Sciences

Beyond Good Intentions: Critical Perspectives on Public Health Engagement in a Global Context (Fall semester)

Ally Driver

Beyond Good Intentions: Critical Perspectives on Public Health Engagement in a Global Context

This book club-style group will read Judith Lasker's Hoping to Help: The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering, which critically explores international aid, voluntourism, and the ethics of global health work. We may also read ethnographies of other public health intervention/volunteering work. We will use Lasker's book to explore the promises, pitfalls, and practices of global public health work through volunteering, medical missions, and study abroad. We will use books, articles, speakers, and documentaries to learn about upcoming study abroad opportunities for Clemson students, as well as study how to make the biggest impact in global public health. This group will hopefully push students to think critically about volunteering/studying abroad and encourage self-awareness and thoughtful engagement with the complexity of the aid world.

Tuesdays 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Lori Pindar Erwin Center for Brand Communications/Graphic Communications

Brand Illiteracy in a Branded World (Fall semester)

Lori Pindar

Brand Illiteracy in a Branded World

This group unpacks the concept of branding illiteracy—the widespread misunderstanding or underestimation of branding's role in culture, media, politics, and personal identity. In an era where nearly everything is branded, from social causes to politicians to personal identities, this group challenges students to examine what happens when people don’t understand branding. Students will critically assess the power dynamics at play, uncover the risks of being brand-illiterate, and develop the tools to recognize, question, and shape brand narratives in responsible and culturally competent ways.

Wednesdays 2:30-3:30 p.m.
David Foltz English

Dixon Book Club (full academic year)

David Foltz

Dixon Book Club

The Dixon Book Club is a reading group that has been in operation for several years. This group studies both fiction and nonfiction texts of shared interest, practicing critical analysis through both open and guided discussion with an aim toward application in meaningful personal and interpersonal development.

Thursdays 6:00-7:30 p.m.
John DesJardins Bioengineering

Hands-On Design and Entrepreneurship (full academic year)

John DesJardins

Hands-On Design and Entrepreneurship

Do you have an idea, invention, or product that you have always wanted to make, develop, or market? In this two-semester program, we will explore and experience the invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship process. We will meet weekly or bi-weekly to learn, experience, and enjoy each other’s ideas and progress. We will develop and refine your idea, we will make it, and we will pitch it at local competitions for real cash. Not ready for the stage, no worries, we will also help others in the program do the same and contribute to the innovation and entrepreneurial network on campus and in the community.

Tuesdays 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Archana Venkatesh History and Geography

Sherlock Holmes in the Evolution of the Modern World (Fall semester)

Archana Venkatesh

Sherlock Holmes in the Evolution of the Modern World

Since the first Sherlock Holmes story was published in 1887, the great detective has been interpreted, re-interpreted, transformed, resurrected (no pun intended) on paper, stage, screen, and small screen in various guises. Whether he is rushing along London’s alleyways in the 2000s (Benedict Cumberbatch), limping along hospital corridors (House, M.D.), fighting Nazis in the Second World War (Basil Rathbone), or walking on four legs (Sherlock Hound); Holmes has had a global and enduring appeal for well over a century.

In this group, we will discuss the evolution of the Holmes character through the ages, and explore how different depictions of the Holmes characters (yes, Watson is important too) reflect the time and space in which they were created. We’ll talk about the British Empire, World War II, and even the present moment in the US/UK. Get ready to read a couple of stories from the late Victorian era, watch some black and white TV show episodes, and run through tech-savvy London!

Tuesdays OR Thursdays (TBC) 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Joseph E. and Caroline G. Dixon

Joseph E. Dixon

Joseph and Caroline Dixon

Joseph E. Dixon was born in 1917 in Dillon, South Carolina, son of Harry Edmiston Dixon and Nina David Dixon. He grew up in South Carolina and attended elementary through high school in Columbia.

At Clemson University, from which he graduated in 1939, Mr. Dixon lettered in varsity boxing and earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree. In October 1940, he was called into the service and during his six and one half years in the Army, served in the Pacific and European theaters and was promoted from Second Lieutenant to Infantry Major.

After returning home from World War II in 1946, he began working in Philadelphia as a sales representative for World Book Encyclopedia, part of Field Enterprises, Inc.  During his over thirty-five years with World Book, he was sales manager for South Carolina and part of Georgia. For eleven out of twelve years, 1968-1979, the branch under his management led the eighty-four branches in the United States and Canada in total sales. He concluded his World Book career as Senior Vice President in charge of sales for the Eastern United States and Canada.

Mr. Dixon was a member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and Boy Scout leader. Mr. Dixon passed away in 2010.

Caroline Goggans Dixon

Caroline Goggans Dixon was born in Columbia, daughter of the late James Furman Goggans and Isoline Wyche Goggans. After graduating from old Columbia High School, she attended Hollins College and graduated from the University of South Carolina. Not only did she do substantial work as a community volunteer, but she was also a major source of support in the course of Mr. Dixon's career with World Book Encyclopedia. Her work as a community volunteer included serving as president of The Junior League of Columbia and as treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Historic Columbia Foundation.

Mrs. Dixon was one of a six-member committee that directed and carried out the campaign to raise funds necessary to save the endangered Robert Mills House in 1962 and later received the Historic Columbia Foundation Award for Distinguished Achievement in Historic Preservation. A longtime supporter of the Columbia and Metropolitan Opera guilds, she was also a member of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America and of The Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia. Mrs. Dixon passed away in 2000. She and Mr. Dixon are survived by two children and two grandchildren.

Find Out More

If you are interested in hearing more about the Dixon Fellows program, would like to make a suggestion or comment, you may contact us using the information below.

Dixon Fellows Program

Eric Pernotto, Ph.D., Director of Experiential Learning and the Honors Residential College
185 Cribb Hall
Clemson, SC 29634-5106

Program email: dixonfellows@clemson.edu