Meet Chief Diversity Officer Lee Gill, J.D.
A Message from Lee
Most of you come from very homogeneous cultures and backgrounds, and here at Clemson, we’re preparing our students for 21st century global competencies. It is part of the Clemson experience. You are expected to leave this institution with a worldview that enables you to enter the workplace of your choosing, whether it’s in the states or abroad.
We have an opportunity and an obligation to facilitate your engagement and interaction with people of different races, genders, ethnicities, physical capabilities, life experiences and more.
The world we live and work in grows increasingly global in focus, so too must the preparation of our students include global competencies that create an outstanding academic education and experience. Our students, staff and faculty created the scaffolding that puts our value of inclusive excellence into action. Support for student development through intercultural and global perspectives is a Clemson priority.
Together, we achieve desired results. In 2016-2017, Insight into Diversity magazine recognized Clemson University as a recipient of its prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, identifying as evidence, the expansion of Clemson Inclusion and Equity, its faculty/staff collaboration efforts and multiple new and existing programs and initiatives:
- The National Men of Color Summit
- The Office for College Preparation and Outreach
- Strategic Diversity Leadership *new
- Hispanic Outreach
- The Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center
- Campus Climate
- MLK Celebration
- International Festival
- LGBTQ Programs
- Multicultural Engagement
- The Charles H. Houston Center
- Call me MISTER
- Call me Doctor
- The SC Diversity Leaders Best Practice Forum *new
- The Erwin Center Summer Scholars program *new
- Pathfinder
- The PEER/WISE Program
- The Bridge to Clemson Program
- The Board of Trustees’ Task Force on the History of Clemson
- The President’s Forum on Inclusive Excellence and
- The Council on Diversity and Inclusion, which is comprised of five commissions
- Access & Equity
- Title IX Training
- ADA Compliance Training
- Women and Minority Business Opportunities
- Civil Treatment programs
- Graduate Diversity Fellowship
- Research and Evaluation
Diversity is an experience-filled journey, not a destination. All colleges, centers, departments and organizations are at varying levels of maturity in their diversity development and the work continues.
At Clemson, we will continue creating a welcoming and affirming environment for students, faculty, and staff of all races and backgrounds; increase Hispanic, Latinx, women’s and LGBTQ outreach efforts; attract more faculty and staff of color; and promote programming between international and domestic student populations. And above all else, work to eliminate environmental and institutional barriers to student success.
There can be no respite in the work to create an environment where all students, faculty and staff are afforded the opportunity to maximize their potential for success. Good can be made better. Better can be made excellent. Excellent can be made exceptional. I am grateful for the many who are dedicated to this on-going process, and I look forward to our continued successes. Go Tigers!