FEATURES Shell Rings and Sea Turtles 10 With a click of your TV remote, you can explore the natural world with FALL 2006 Clemson experts. VOL. 59, NO. 4 Every nine seconds 12 DEPARTMENTS See what Clemson is doing to reverse the economic and social drain of high school PRESIDENT’S dropouts. VIEW PAGE 2 The ‘Brain Coach’ 16 WORLD VIEW Col. Rick Robbins was motivating PAGE 4 Clemson student athletes long before LIFELONG the era of academic advisers. CONNECTIONS PAGE 28 Passing it on 18 STUDENT LIFE Walter Cox’s Clemson legacy is PAGE 30 still going strong. CLASSMATES PAGE 32 Algae’s secret garden 20 NEWSMAKERS There’s more than green to this PAGE 44 great natural resource. COMMITMENT PAGE 46 ‘Place Makers’ 24 TAPS Discover a one-of-a-kind program to create PAGE 48 tomorrow’s most inspired communities. Cover photo: Newly renovated Gantt Circle in front of Clemson’s landmark Tillman Hall, by Patrick Wright On this page: fall semester orientation, photo by Craig Mahaffey President’s View Executive Editor Dave Dryden Art Director Reflections on national Judy Morrison Editor spotlight Liz Newall Classes Editor & Advertising Director “IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE AGE OF Sallie Leigh (864) 656-7897 WISDOM, IT WAS THE AGE OF FOOliSHNESS, IT WAS THE EPOCH OF BEliEF, IT Contributors WAS THE EPOCH OF inCREDUliTY. …” Dale Cochran Debbie Dunning Charles Dickens opened his great novel, A Tale of Two Cities, with these lines, which could Catherine Sams have been written in any era because they describe every age. News Services Publications and Promotion They certainly resonated with me on Sept. 1, 2006. In the span of a few hours, I attended Photographers the campus memorial service for Tiffany Marie Souers and the First Friday parade. We Patrick Wright grieved the senseless murder of a promising student; then we celebrated the beginning of Craig Mahaffey a promising new football season. University Officials President Barker is pictured with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (left) and Secretary of Education Margaret President It was a hard transition. Yet as a university community, we managed to do both because Spellings during the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education earlier this year. James F. Barker we knew Tiffany would have wanted it that way. The first class of seven Ph.D. students in automotive engineering began studying on campus this fall. Board of Trustees Leon J. Hendrix Jr., Earlier in the summer, we lost Walter Cox. I said at his memorial service, “No one ever Next year, they will move to the new Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center, which is chairman; John J. Britton, under construction now, and a new crop of master’s and doctoral degree candidates will join them. vice chairman; Bill L. Amick, loved Clemson more and demanded less in return than Walter Cox.” Lawrence M. Gressette Jr., This level of national attention, however, invites greater scrutiny, and the New York Times seemed to Thomas C. Lynch Jr., Then, a few weeks later, we learned that Clemson is now a top-30 national public universi- Louis B. Lynn, ty, according to the U.S.News & World Report rankings. This is the most respected and most many to imply that our partnership with industry is a new and menacing threat to academic freedom and Patricia Herring McAbee, Leslie G. McCraw, ‘The students credible of the various higher education lists because it combines hard, statistical data institutional integrity at Clemson. E. Smyth McKissick III, with softer “reputation” scores. It’s more than a survey; they do their homework. Thomas B. McTeer Jr., In fact, Clemson has a 100-year history of working closely, with integrity, with industries ranging from Robert L. Peeler, come first.’ Last year, Clemson gained ground because of measures that matter most to students and agriculture to biomaterials to textiles. Economic development was a part of Thomas Green Clemson’s William C. Smith Jr., Joseph D. Swann parents — smaller classes, lower faculty-to-student ratios and higher graduation rates. vision and has always been a part of our mission as a land-grant university. © 2006 Clemson University And so, the life of a university rolls on. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, Seeking partners, seeking collaborators or seeking input is one thing. However, ceding control is another Clemson World is published quarterly for thing altogether. alumni and friends of Clemson Univer- and we rose in national stature because of a lesson Walter Cox taught us long ago: “The sity by the Division of Advancement. students come first.” Editorial offices are in the Department As alumni, you can be confident that Clemson has not and will not give up control over our core aca- of Publications and Promotion, Clemson demic enterprise. We listen to many voices, but it’s the sole responsibility of the University and its faculty University, 114 Daniel Dr., Clemson, SC 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-5004). to determine such things as hiring, promotion, tenure, curriculum and content. Copyright© Publications and Promotion, Clemson University. Story ideas and letters are welcome, but publisher assumes Clemson was in the national spotlight — and in the New York Times — this fall because of BMW, Michelin and Timken — known internationally for excellence in engineering — have chosen no responsibility for return of unsolicited two major stories. to partner with us because of this independence and strength, and because of the quality of our faculty, manuscripts or art. Send address changes to Records, 110 Daniel Dr., Clemson, SC students and graduates. 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-1692), or call Football student-athlete Ramon (Ray Ray) McElrathbey’s determination to raise his 1-800-313-6517. 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, captured the nation’s imagination and inspired millions. The foundation of this quality is academic integrity — a core value at Clemson. With the help of the ACC and the NCAA, we were able to get a waiver of the strictest CLEMSON WORLD rules governing scholarship athletes so that we might provide him reasonable and appro- CORPORATE SPONSORS priate help. Alumni Career Services ARAMARK Blackbaud The other story spotlighted the Clemson University International Center for Automotive James F. Barker, FAIA The Clemson Corps Research (CU-ICAR) and the unprecedented support we have received from automotive Coca-Cola Company President Conference Center and Inn at industry partners as well as the state of South Carolina. Clemson University Tom Winkopp Properties 2 CLEMSON WORLD FALL 2006 3 One-of-a-kind packaging $2.5 MILLION GIFT FROM GLOBAL PACKAGING LEADER SONOCO A Products Co. has launched the proposed Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and World View Graphics at Clemson. The gift forges a powerful learning and economic development resource for South Carolina, creating the opportunity to plan an institute that will be the only one of its kind in the nation. The institute will provide resources for students in packaging, printing and allied fields. It will promote consumer and environmentally superior packaging design develop- ment, printing-imaging technologies and printing-packaging systems. Developing the The funds will help pay for construction of a facility to house the institute. economy Commitments The Economic Development Administration of gifts-in- (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce kind will help has selected Clemson for its S.C. EDA provide tech- University Center. Clemson will receive nology support. $488,000 over three years to carry out econom- Program ic development projects throughout the state. leaders foresee Rise in ranking The center will be administered by the the need for U.S. News Regional Economic Development Research three endowed U.S.News & World Report this year ranked Clemson as a top-30 public institution among Laboratory in the University’s applied econom- chairs to teach the nation’s public doctoral-granting universities. This is a move up from 34th last year. ics and statistics department and the Clemson and guide Clemson is again ranked as South Carolina’s top public university. Institute for Economic and Community the institute, The latest report shows improvements in key educational areas, such as class size, Development. which will be graduation rate and quality of students. This year, Clemson reported that 39 percent Research and technical assistance efforts self-sustaining. will concentrate on the development of of classes had fewer than 20 students and just 10 percent of classes had 50 or more. Pictured at industry clusters in the state, the leveraging of Clemson’s graduation rate rose from 72 percent to 75 percent. This year, 45 percent of the presenta- the University’s technical expertise to promote Clemson’s freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class, tion are, from entrepreneurship and business development, which is up from 38 percent. left, packaging and the assistance of work force development In addition, Clemson is recognized as having an “outstanding example of an academic science major Meredith Isbell, Clemson President Jim Barker, graphic communications organizations in preparing workers for the program believed to lead to student success” in its Writing Across the Curriculum major Amy Etheridge and Sonoco Products Co. President Harris E. DeLoach Jr. Bernanke at Leadership SC knowledge-based economy. program. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, Top-20 civil engineering a native of Dillon, returned to South Carolina in August for a homecoming celebration CCORDING TO THE hosted by Leadership South Carolina, a CU-ICAR’s first class Alatest U.S. News ranking, Clemson public service. HE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR Clemson’s civil engineering de- Bernanke spoke to a gathering of business TAutomotive Research (CU-ICAR) has begun “produc- partment is 14th among the nation’s executives, community leaders and govern- ing” its most important product — a highly skilled work public doctoral-granting engineer- ment officials on the U.S.