Winter 2008 www.clemson.edu/clemsonworld Challenge of the Sphinxes Tending the state’s greatest resource One program: 1,000 successes Being a T.I.G.E.R. • •• • •2008 • •••. 61, • •. 1 •••••••• Departments ‘In the Spirit of Helping Youth’ 8 President’s iew Discover year-round programs that inspire • ••••• greatness in young people. o r l d i e w PEER to PEER 12 • ••••• Minority science and engineering students aces of Philanthropy form a network with nearly 1,000 success ••••••• stories. Lifelong Connections Balancing Act 16 ••••••• Clemson’s life-skills program has a Alumni National Council Division 1A national champ. •••••••• Cover: Avenue The General 20 Student Life of the Sphinxes ••••••• connecting the Meet an alumnus who was a coach, counselor, colossal temples military commander and pillar of Clemson for Classmates of Luxor and nearly 50 years. ••••••• CRAIG MAHAFFEY Karnak Challenge of the Sphinxes 22 Commitment This page: New ••••••• marketing gradu- Learn how Clemson students are helping ate Patrick Boylan preserve humanity’s distant past in Luxor, Egypt. aps ••••••• WINTER 2008 1 PRESIDENT’S VIEW Executive Editor Clemson students are engaged ... To repeat, there was not a single benchmark where Clemson’s average score was below that of other Dave Dryden institutions. That is true for both freshmen and seniors. Art Director Judy Morrison and that’s a good thing Bottom line: Our students say Clemson provides a supportive and challenging academic environment. Editor Liz Newall All teachers know that students need to be active participants in their own educa- A closer look Classes Editor & tions to get the most out of college. Advertising Director When we look at specifi c questions from the NSSE survey, we fi nd that: Sallie Leigh • 92 percent of freshmen and seniors rate their entire educational experience at If they simply sit there on the receiving end of a one-way fl ow of information, we (864) 656-7897 Clemson as good or excellent. This is 12 points higher than our peers. know that not much long-term learning is taking place. • 90 percent would choose Clemson again if given the chance. Contributors Dale Cochran If, on the other hand, they talk or write about what they are learning … if they work • 80 percent of freshmen and 70 percent of seniors rate the quality of academic Debbie Dunning together in project teams … if they must apply what they’ve learned to real-world advising as good or excellent. Catherine Sams problems and situations. If some or all of these things happen, it can lead to a deeper, News Services Among Clemson seniors: Publications and Promotion richer, more valuable kind of learning. • 78 percent worked on a research project with a faculty member. Photographers There has been a growing demand for greater accountability from colleges and • 78 percent did community service or volunteer work. Patrick Wright universities on whether or not we are delivering this kind of deep learning. • 68 percent had an internship, practicum or fi eld experience. Craig Mahaffey • 41 percent completed a culminating senior experience, like a capstone project. We are all familiar with the U.S.Nes World Report rankings, and at Clemson, our University Offi cials goal-setting relative to U.S. Nes has been a tremendous catalyst for positive change. Among Clemson freshmen: President James F. Barker We realize, however, that U.S. Nes relies a great deal on “inputs” — things like the • 83 percent say their courses emphasize applying theories or concepts to new situations. SAT scores of incoming freshmen. • 86 percent say Clemson provides substantial support for academic success. Board of Trustees Leon J. Hendrix Jr., How do you measure outcomes? How do you know if students are really learning? On all of these specifi c questions, our students’ responses were higher, by a statistically signifi cant chairman; John J. Britton, margin, than those of our peers and all other NSSE schools. vice chairman; Bill L. Amick, Thomas C. Lynch Jr., Engagement — another important measure One cluster of NSSE questions related to “Mental Activities” and is particularly signifi cant. Louis B. Lynn, Patricia Herring McAbee, Another important measure is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Clemson students report that they are expected to analyze the basic elements of an idea, experi- Leslie G. McCraw, commonly called “Nessie.” The survey is given to more than 160,000 fi rst-year stu- ence or theory, and then to apply those theories and concepts to practical problems or in new E. Smyth McKissick III, dents and seniors at more than 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide, both situations. Thomas B. McTeer Jr., public and private. Robert L. Peeler, In other words, they are learning to think. Our academic program is working. William C. Smith Jr., Joseph D. Swann, Many consider this the best way to evaluate the quality of a school’s undergraduate David H. Wilkins program. Engaged students, in general, are successful students. Parts of the NSSE Questions to consider © 2008 Clemson University survey will be used in a new Voluntary System of Accountability, which Clemson also On some specifi c questions, however, we would like to see improvement. For example, feer fresh- Ninety percent Clemson World is published quarterly for supports and helped to develop. men and seniors at Clemson report having had a serious conversation with students of another alumni and friends of Clemson Univer- of Clemson freshmen race or ethnicity. We know that increasing diversity and preparing our students for a diverse world sity by the Division of Advancement. NSSE specifi cally does not rank institutions. However, last fall, for the fi rst time, it Editorial offi ces are in the Department remain important challenges for us. of Publications and Promotion, Clemson and seniors would choose released data on about 250 individual schools that agreed to have their results pub- University, 114 Daniel Dr., Clemson, lished. It also provided us with a report that shows how we compare to selected peers We also must remember that comparing one institution’s average response to another can be SC 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-5004). and to all schools in the survey. misleading. Individual student performance varies much more ithin institutions than average Copyright© Publications and Promotion, Clemson again if given Clemson University. Story ideas and let- performance does eteen institutions. ters are welcome, but publisher assumes the chance. There is much for Clemson to be proud of in our NSSE results, but there are also op- no responsibility for return of unsolicited portunities for improvement. More important than comparisons, then, are the questions we must ask ourselves: Is Clemson as manuscripts or art. Send address changes to Records, 110 Daniel Dr., Clemson, SC challenging as it might be for high-achieving students? Are we doing the best we can for the 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-1692), or call On the fi ve major composite benchmarks of effective practice, our scores are equal students who are the least engaged in their academic pursuits? 1-800-313-6517. to or higher, by a statistically signifi cant margin, than those of our peers and all other NSSE participants. These benchmarks are clusters of questions that gauge: We feel very good about our students’ responses on the National Survey of Student Engagement, CLEMSON WORLD CORPORATE SPONSORS • Level of Academic Challenge but we are using the survey in the right way, to study and continuously improve what we are doing at Clemson. Alumni Online Services • Active and Collaborative Learning ARAMARK • Student-Faculty Interaction The Clemson Corps • Enriching Educational Experiences Coca-Cola Company Conference Center and Inn at • Supportive Campus Environment Clemson University James F. Barker, FAIA Solid Green Tom Winkopp Properties President 2 CLEMSON WORLD WINTER 2008 3 WORLD VIEW Clemson resear tops million reast aner resear an tissue ariation get EXTERNAL FUNDING OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR 2006-07 o o s t totaled $141.4 million, the highest in Clemson’s history and moving closer to the goal of $150 million by 2008. THE NATIONAL SCIENCE “This total refl ects outstanding achievement by faculty and staff across the Foundation has awarded $2 million to the Clemson researer stuies aron ers University,” says Chris Przirembel, vice president for Research and Economic Institute for Biological Interfaces of or nulear reator saety Development. Engineering at Clemson for the develop- CARBON FIBERS THAT ARE ONLY ONE-TENTH THE SIZE Clemson is focusing its research efforts in eight critical emphasis areas that ment of engineered tissues that will be of a human hair but three times stronger than steel may hold up match the University’s strengths and South Carolina’s economic activity. used to study the causes, progression and to the intense heat and radiation of next-generation nuclear power treatment of breast cancer. • Automotive and Transportation Technology generators, providing a safety mechanism. Multiple biofabrication technologies, • Advanced Materials The Department of Energy has awarded Clemson chemical pioneered at the University, will allow • Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences engineering professor Amod Ogale, deputy director of the Center the creation and assessment of identical • Family and Community Living for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films, a $450,000 grant to tissue samples that can be used to build • General Education research carbon fi bers embedded into a carbon matrix that do not • Information and Communication Technology cause-and-effect models. melt in extreme temperatures for potential use in “Gen IV” power • Leadership and Entrepreneurship “Our research team includes breast generators. • Sustainable Environment cancer surgeons, engineers and scientists Irradiation experiments will be conducted in collaboration with • • •• • • • ••• ••• • • • •• • • • • • • • •••••••••••••••••••••••••• — the breadth of expertise is tremendous researchers at Oak Ridge National Labs. S.C. State University •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• and absolutely crucial for this very com- researchers also will participate in the study.