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Clemson University () is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
land-grant
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
near
Clemson, South Carolina Clemson () is a city in Pickens County, South Carolina, Pickens and Anderson County, South Carolina, Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is adjacent to Clemson University, - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university pr ...
, United States.
- The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''outside'' of the Clemson city limits.
Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university by enrollment in South Carolina. For the fall 2023 semester, the university enrolled a total of 22,875 undergraduate students and 5,872 graduate students, and the student/faculty ratio was 15:1. Clemson's campus is in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
. The campus now borders Lake Hartwell, which was formed by the dam completed in 1962. Clemson University consists of nine colleges:
Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
,
Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
and
Life Sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...
;
Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
, Art and
Construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
; Arts and Humanities; Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences;
Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, Computing and Applied Sciences;
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
; The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of
Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
; Veterinary Science; and
Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
. Clemson University is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."


History


Beginnings

Thomas Green Clemson, the university's founder, came to the foothills of South Carolina in 1838, when he married Anna Maria Calhoun, daughter of John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina politician and seventh U.S. Vice President. Through the Calhoun family, Clemson became an owner of enslaved persons on the family plantation that was to become the heart of the future university. When Clemson died on April 6, 1888, he bequeathed the Fort Hill plantation and most of his estate, which he inherited from his wife, in his will to be used to establish a college that would teach scientific agriculture and the mechanical arts to South Carolinians. His decision was largely influenced by the future South Carolina Governor Benjamin Tillman. Tillman lobbied the South Carolina General Assembly to create the school as an agricultural institution for the state, and the resolution passed by only one vote. In his will, Clemson explicitly stated he wanted the school to be modeled after what is now
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
.


Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina

In November 1889, South Carolina Governor John Peter Richardson III signed the bill, thus establishing the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina. As a result, federal funds for agricultural education from the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act and the
Hatch Act of 1887 The Hatch Act of 1887 (ch. 314, , enacted 1887-03-02, et seq.) gave federal funds, initially $15,000 each, to state land-grant colleges in order to create a series of agricultural experiment stations, as well as pass along new information, e ...
were transferred from South Carolina College (today, the
University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
) to Clemson. Construction of the college began with Hardin Hall in 1890 and then main classroom buildings in 1891. Convict laborers, some as young as 12 years old, built many of the original buildings on campus. The prisoners that built Clemson were almost all black, and over 500 of their names are recorded. South Carolina used more convict labor to build its universities than any other state. Henry Aubrey Strode was the first president of Clemson from 1890 to 1893, hiring faculty and designing the curriculum. Edwin Craighead succeeded Strode in 1893. Clemson Agricultural College formally opened in July 1893 with an initial enrollment of 446. The common curriculum of the first incoming students was English, history, botany, mathematics, physics, and agriculture. Until 1955, the college was also an all-white male military school. On May 22, 1894, the main building (Tillman Hall) was destroyed by a fire, which consumed the library, classrooms, and offices. Tillman Hall was rebuilt in 1894 and is still standing today. The first graduating class of Clemson was in 1896, and they had degrees in mechanical-electrical engineering and agriculture. Clemson's first football team began in 1896, led by trainer Walter Riggs. Henry Hartzog, a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, became president of Clemson in 1897. Hartzog created a textile department in 1898. Clemson became the first Southern school to train textile specialists. Hartzog expanded the curriculum with more industrialization skills such as foundry work, agriculture studies, and mechanics. In 1902, a large student walkout over the use of rigid military discipline escalated tensions between students and faculty, forcing Hartzog to resign. Patrick Mell succeeded Hartzog from 1902 to 1910. Following the resignation of Mell in 1910, former Clemson Tigers football coach Walter Riggs became president of Clemson from 1910 to 1924. The Holtzendorff Hall, originally the Holzendorff YMCA, was built in 1914 designed by Rudolph E. Lee of the first graduating class of Clemson in 1896. In 1915, Riggs Field was dedicated after Walter Riggs and is the Clemson Tigers men's soccer home field. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, enrollment in Clemson declined. In 1917, Clemson formed a Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and in 1918, a Student Army Training Corps was formed. Effects of World War I made Clemson hire the first female faculty due to faculty changes. Riggs accepted a six-month army educational commission in 1919 overseas in France leaving Samuel Earle as acting president. On March 10, 1920, a large walkout occurred protesting unfair "prison camp" style military discipline. The 1920 walkout led to the creation of a Department of Student Affairs. On January 22, 1924, Riggs died on a business trip to Washington, D.C., leaving Earle the acting president. In October 1924, another walkout of around 500 students occurred when Earle rejected their demands for better food, the dismissal of mess officer Harcombe, and the reinstatement of their senior class president. The 1924 walkout resulted in 23 students being dismissed and 112 suspended. On April 1, 1925, a fire destroyed the interior of the agricultural building and its many research projects and an agricultural museum. The exterior of the building survived, leading to the construction of Sikes Hall to hold the library from Tillman Hall. On May 27, 1926, Mechanical Hall was destroyed in a fire. Present-day Freeman Hall, built in 1926, was the reconstructed shop building. In 1928 Riggs Hall was established in honor of Walter Riggs. President Enoch Sikes increased student enrollment by over 1,000 students and expanded the degree programs with an addition of the first graduate degree. The Department of Arts and Sciences was formed in 1926 with the addition of modern language programs. Programs at Clemson were reorganized into six schools of agriculture, chemistry, engineering, general science, textiles, and vocational studies. In 1927, Clemson received accreditation from the Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges of the Southern States. During
The Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank an ...
, student enrollment and income declined. The New Deal brought needed construction to the campus under the
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
with new dormitories to relieve the housing shortages. Long Hall, Sirrine Hall, and 29,625 acres of privately owned farmland were acquired by Clemson through federal funding. Agricultural engineers of Clemson diversified with the Clemson Agricultural Extension to educate farmers on soil conservation and crop storage techniques during The Great Depression. Robert Poole became the first Clemson alumnus to be president in 1940. On September 19, 1942, Memorial Stadium was formally opened as the new stadium for the Clemson Tigers football team previously played on Riggs Field since 1915. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, more than 6,500 students were sent overseas to the military. As a result of the Clemson ROTC, around 5,850 were commissioned officers. The class of 1943 had a historical low of 343 graduates. By the end of the war, 376 Clemson students had been killed in it.


Becoming civilian and coeducational and desegregated

By 1948, many black applicants had attempted to gain admittance to Clemson and desegregate the university, but segregated admissions policies had blocked them all. Admissions forms asked applicants to mark their race, and some black applicants responded with "Negro," while others wrote "American" or did not answer the question. In 1947, one black student had successfully gained admittance, even though he answered the question with "Negro,": the school blamed this on a clerical error and the registrar reported that "for various reasons... edid not pursue his admission." The next year, the university's board met to discuss how they would handle increasing pressure to desegregate, which was coming from
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
lawsuits against other schools, increasing numbers of Clemson applications from black students and rising moral indignation from religious groups. The board decided to keep Clemson segregated, directing black applicants to South Carolina A&M instead.Suggs, H. Lewis. "Harvey Gantt and the desegregation of Clemson University, 1960–1963." ''Integration with dignity'' (2003): 15-36. In 1955, Clemson underwent a major restructuring and was transformed into a "civilian" status for students. It began admitting white women; the university was still segregated. In 1957 Margaret Marie Snider became the first woman to earn a degree. Initially, the university had many extra rules that only applied to women, but these were removed by the middle of the 1970s. Over the 1950s, while court decisions desegregated other schools, Clemson's rejection of black applicants like Spencer Bracy, Edward Bracy, and John L. Gainey became newsworthy. In 1963, the university admitted its first African-American student, Harvey Gantt, who later was elected as mayor of
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
. Gantt and Cornelius Fludd, along with many other black students, had applied to transfer to Clemson in 1961 and been rejected, but Gantt and Fludd's persistent work with the NAACP pushed the school to consider their applications more deeply. In 1962, Gantt and the NAACP filed suit against the university, and in 1963, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit directed Clemson to admit Gantt. Clemson's leaders warned students to remain nonviolent as Gantt registered under press scrutiny. The rest of the process went relatively smoothly, unlike desegregation efforts that turned violent like the Ole Miss Riot. Gantt enrolled in 1963, and later recalled that he was harassed by other students for the first few days and later sometimes insulted, but never directly confronted. He attributed this to his large build and president R.C. Edwards' stern warnings against violence. Edwards asked Gantt to avoid student dances, but Gantt attended them and football games. He contrasted his experience with that of James Meredith at the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
, and the students who desegregated the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia. Also in 1963, Lucinda Brawley became the first black woman admitted to Clemson and the second black student to attend, and Larry Nazry transferred in the semester after.


Clemson University

In 1964, the college was renamed Clemson University as the state legislature formally recognized the school's expanded academic offerings and research pursuits.


Campus

The Campus of Clemson University is outside of, and adjacent to, the Clemson city limits, in unincorporated Pickens County. Therefore, the university does not have to abide by City of Clemson municipal ordinances nor receive permission to do any undertaking from the City of Clemson. The South Carolina General Assembly designated Clemson University as a "municipal corporation" in 1894. This campus was originally the site of U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun's plantation, named Fort Hill. The plantation passed to his daughter, Anna, and son-in-law, Thomas Green Clemson. On Clemson's death in 1888, he willed the land to the state of South Carolina for the creation of a public university. The university was founded in 1889, and three buildings from the initial construction still exist today: Hardin Hall (built in 1890), Main Building (later renamed Tillman Hall) (1894), and Godfrey Hall (1898). Other periods of large expansion occurred in 1936–1938 when eight new buildings were constructed, and the late 1950s through 1970, when no fewer than 25 buildings were constructed, most in a similar architectural style. The campus area first appeared as a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in the 2020 Census with a population of 7,311.


Academics


National ranking

Per '' US News'' Best National University Rankings, Clemson ranks 80th overall in the United States.


Undergraduate admissions

The 2022 annual ranking of '' U.S. News & World Report'' categorizes Clemson as 'more selective'. For the Class of 2028 (enrolled fall 2024), Clemson received 61,517 applications and accepted 23,586 (38.3%). Of those accepted, 4,880 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 20.7%. Clemson's freshman retention rate is 94%, with 85.5% going on to graduate within six years. The enrolled first-year class of 2028 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th percentile – 75th percentile) of
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...
scores was 1250–1400, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 28–32.


Colleges and schools

In July 1955, the four schools that made up Clemson—Agriculture, Arts & Sciences, Engineering and Textiles—were transformed into nine colleges: Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Liberal Arts, Sciences, Commerce and Industry, Education, Engineering, Forestry and Recreation Resources, and Nursing. This structure was used by the university until 1995 when the university's nine colleges were condensed into five: Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts, and Humanities; Business and Behavioral Science; Engineering and Science; Health, Education, and Human Development. On July 14, 2014, the Eugene T. Moore School of Education broke off from the College of Health, Education, and Human development, thus becoming the sixth college. An academic reorganization effective July 1, 2016, created seven new colleges: College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities; College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences; College of Business; College of Education (including the Eugene T. Moore School of Education); College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; and College of Science. Currently, there are nine academic colleges: College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, College of Architecture, Art and Construction, College of Arts and Humanities, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, College of Science, the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, and the new College of Veterinary Medicine.


College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences

The College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences (CAFLS) supports Clemson University's land-grant mission to provide education, research, and service to the public. CAFLS faculty members teach major subjects and core curricula while preparing students to be leaders, creative thinkers, and communicators. Emphasis is placed on engaging students in research, internships/coops, study abroad, and service learning. CAFLS research is focused on the sustainability of agriculture, forests, and natural resources; food and packaging systems to ensure a healthy and safe food supply, and biomedical sciences to improve human and non-human health.


College of Architecture, Art and Construction

The College of Architecture, Art and Construction (CAAC) contains a School of Architecture, a Department of Art and the Nieri Department of Construction, Development and Planning. Departments within the school include Construction Science and Management and Landscape Architecture. One of the departments of the college, the School of Architecture, was ranked as the No. 16 graduate school for architecture in the country by Design Intelligence. The Brooks Center serves as performing arts venue for the college.


College of Arts and Humanities

The College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) was founded in 2023 and has six departments: English, History and Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies, Languages, Performing Arts and Philosophy and Religion. Interdisciplinary Studies includes the Global Black Studies, Women’s Leadership and World Cinema programs. The Brooks Center serves as a performing arts venue for the college. The college also offers a pre-law program and promotes the Humanities Hub, which intends to advance the outreach, scholarly and teaching activities of the humanities.


Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business

The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The College of Business, after receiving a $60m gift from Wilbur and Ann Powers, was renamed the Wilbur O. and Ann Power College of Business in October 2020. The College of Business was the first to be named in the history of Clemson University. The College of Business is ranked among the top schools on The Princeton Review’s 2023 ''Best Business Schools'' and ''Best Business Schools (Southeast)'' lists. The college is also listed on the ''Best Online MBA Programs''. It’s ranked #10 for ''Best MBA for Human Resources'', #34 for ''Top 50 Entrepreneurship: Grad'', and #5 for ''Top South Top 50 Entrepreneurship: Grad''. , U.S. News and World Report ranks the college #98 in ''Best Business Schools'' and #56 in ''Part-time MBA.''


College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences

The College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences (CECAS) specializes in engineering as well as the physical sciences such as physics and chemistry. Inspired by Thomas Green Clemson's dream to create a "high seminary of learning to benefit the agricultural and mechanical arts," engineering and sciences have been an integral part of the university's development. Since the first degrees were granted in 1896, Clemson engineers and scientists have made significant contributions to South Carolina, the nation, and the world. CECAS was formed in 1995, joining the engineering disciplines with the chemistry, computer science, geological science, mathematical science, and physics and astronomy departments.


Clemson University Honors College

The Clemson University Honors College focuses on education for highly motivated, academically talented students. Entrance to college is very competitive, with only 250 incoming freshmen accepted each year with an average SAT score of 1400 or higher and finishing in the top 3% of their high school graduating class. The college was founded in 1962 and originally named for John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina native and politician, who was the vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832.


College of Education

The College of Education is Clemson's newest college and is centered in the Tillman Hall. The college has some 600 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students, and the mission is to embrace the diverse faculty, staff, and students and provide them with a diverse set of experiences. The COE also houses the Call Me MISTER Program and the Moore Scholars.


Graduate school

The Graduate School offers more than 100 graduate degree programs in 85 disciplines on the college's main campus and at sites such as Clemson at the Falls and the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville, the Clemson Architecture Center in the historic Cigar Factory in Charleston, the Restoration Institute in North Charleston, as well as some online/distance-learning programs. Many of the graduate programs are highly ranked nationally, and the school offers several unique interdisciplinary programs.


Rankings

Admission to Clemson is rated "more selective" by '' U.S. News & World Report''. For the Class of 2022 (enrolling Fall 2018), Clemson received 28,845 applications and accepted 13,613 (47.2%), with 3,792 enrolling. The middle 50% range of
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...
scores for enrolling freshmen was 610–690 for reading and writing, and 610–710 for math. The middle 50% ACT composite score range was 27–32. The average high school grade point average ( GPA) was 4.43. For 2025, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Clemson as tied for the 80th best national university in the U.S. overall and tied for the 39th top public school. In 2016, The Princeton Review ranked Clemson University number one in three categories: Student Career Services, Town-Gown Relations, and Students pack the stadium.


Research

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) was established in 2013 in Greenville as a seminary for automotive research and innovation. CU-ICAR is a automotive and motorsports research campus. The department of Automotive Engineering was ranked tenth in the world in 2015. CU-ICAR includes a graduate school offering master's and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering, and programs focused on systems integration. The campus also includes an Information Technology Research Center being developed by
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
. BMW,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
,
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
, Bosch, Timken, JTEKT/Koyo and
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
are all major corporate partners of CU-ICAR. Private-sector companies that have committed to establishing offices and/or facilities on the campus include the Society of Automotive Engineers and Timken. Plans for the campus also include a full-scale, four-vehicle capacity rolling road
wind tunnel A wind tunnel is "an apparatus for producing a controlled stream of air for conducting aerodynamic experiments". The experiment is conducted in the test section of the wind tunnel and a complete tunnel configuration includes air ducting to and f ...
. The Charleston Innovation Campus in North Charleston was founded in 2004 as the Restoration Institute. It houses the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, Dominion Energy Innovation Center, and the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center. The conservation center includes the Hunley Commission, which is undertaking the stabilization of the ''H. L. Hunley'', a
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
that was the world's first to sink a ship. The energy innovation center opened in 2013 and houses a 7.5MW and a 15MW offshore wind turbine test facility for $100 million. In 2016, Clemson opened the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center. The 70,000 sq. ft. facility is home to graduate programs in digital arts and engineering disciplines. In 2016, Clemson announced a new partnership with Siemens, including a grant with a total value of $357,224,294. This grant is the largest in the school's history. Through it, students in Clemson's College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences will have access to a variety of new software.


Student life


Intramurals

In addition to their varsity programs, Clemson offers a wide variety of intramural sports: *
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
* Billiards *
Bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
* Cornhole * Dodgeball *
Flag football Flag football is a variant of gridiron football (American football or Canadian football depending on location) where, instead of Tackle (football move)#Gridiron football, tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or ...
* Indoor soccer * Kickball *
Racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...
*
Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
*
Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
* Spikeball *
Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
* Ultimate Frisbee *
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
* Wiffleball


Fraternity and sorority life

The university's
fraternities and sororities In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...
system is somewhat different from other large universities in the southern U.S. in that there are no Greek houses on campus, although there are residence halls designated for fraternities and sororities. There are a few fraternity houses off campus. The remaining sororities' on-campus housing is on the other end of campus, in what is commonly referred to as "the horseshoe" in Smith and Barnett Halls. In 2017, 15% of men and 31% of women were involved in Greek life, out of 19,825 undergraduate students. While the required GPA to join Greek life is 2.7, the mean GPA of each sorority was above the all-university mean.


Military heritage

The university is home to detachments for U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) as well as a host school for the U.S. Marine Corps PLC program adjacent to the Semper Fi Society. In addition to students from the university, these organizations also serve students from Anderson University, Southern Wesleyan University, Bob Jones University, and Tri-County Technical College. The university's AAS squadron was selected to be home of Arnold Air Society's National Headquarters for the 2005–2006 year and again for the 2006–2007 year. The C-4 Pershing Rifles have won the national society's drill meet nine times: 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2017.


Student media

Clemson University has five student-operated media outlets within its communication department. Each have been guided by faculty advisor and director of student media Wanda Johnson since 2019 when the outlets reintegrated as a component of the university. The five outlets are ''The Tiger'', Tigervision, ''The Pendulum'', ''The Chronicle'', and WSBF-FM. Founded in 1907, ''The Tiger'' is the oldest student-run newspaper in South Carolina. ''The Tiger'' is printed biweekly, on Thursdays, and maintains a staff of over 30 senior members and contributing staff. Tigervision, Clemson's student-run TV station, broadcasts on channel 88 on the university's campus cable network. The station was created in 1994 under the name Clemson Cable Network by students at WSBF-FM. In 2007, CCN was reorganized into Clemson Television and began to produce student comedy shows and air public domain films. In 2014, CTV was renamed Tigervision to coincide with its switch to high-definition broadcasting. ''The Pendulum'' is a student-run international affairs magazine. It was established in 2014. It publishes twice a year. ''The Chronicle'' is a literary art magazine that publishes biannually. It was founded in 1897. WSBF-FM was founded in 1958 and made its first broadcast on April 1, 1960. In the beginning, WSBF's content was mostly agriculture education shows and classical music. By the mid-1960s, the station began to air sports programs such as ''The Frank Howard Show'' along with the news. The station would eventually shift to a "progressive" format where it focused on new, up-and-coming contemporary music groups. During the 1980s, the format would shift gradually to the station's current "alternative" format. WSBF plays a variety of genres, including jazz, rap, punk, rock, and folk, focusing on independent artists. The station broadcasts to the Clemson area and upstate South Carolina on 88.1 FM and online. ''TAPS Yearbook'' was established in 1907 after members of the Clemson College Chronicle, the literary arts magazine at the time, wanted to publish a new book printed annually. It is named after the bugle call "Taps," which was played each night when cadets went to bed during the college's time as a military school. Each edition of ''TAPS'' contains student portraits, information on student organizations, and reviews of the past year's events. The end of the 2017–18 academic year was the final edition of the yearbook.


Traditions


Tiger Paw

The Tiger Paw became the official logo for Clemson University in 1970, in place of the previous tiger logo. The paw is now used on all athletic teams and collegiate documents. The tiger paw is also painted on surfaces throughout campus and on highways leading to the campus.


Homecoming and Tigerama

Every year, Clemson students have the opportunity to attend Homecoming and Tigerama. The Clemson Homecoming tradition began in 1914 and has been held annually at Clemson University ever since. During homecoming week, various student organizations design and build Homecoming floats on Bowman Field. The floats are then revealed on the Saturday of the football game and judged by a select panel. Since 1957, Clemson has held "Tigerama" on the Friday night of homecoming week. Tigerama is one of the nation's largest student-run-pep rallies, averaging about 40,000 people. This Clemson event includes the crowning of Miss Homecoming, skits by various academic organizations, and a fireworks show.


First Friday Parade

The First Friday Parade has been held on the Friday before the first home football game every year since 1974. The parade includes fraternities, sororities, the Clemson marching band, the university president, and many other student organizations. A pep rally is held in the university's amphitheater. In 1985, the parade had its highest attendance when accompanying CBS commentators were the Grand Marshals.


Alma mater

The Clemson University alma mater originated in the 1910s after a group of Clemson ROTC cadets in May 1918 was asked to sing the school's song at a gathering of ROTC cadets in
Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The population of the sur ...
; they were unable to do so, as Clemson had no song at the time. One of the cadets in attendance, A.C. Corcoran of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, decided to remedy the situation and wrote the words to the alma mater and set them to Annie Lisle, which was the melody of
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
's alma mater, as well as many others. The words were later officially accepted by the then-named Clemson Agricultural College as the alma mater and were first performed by the Clemson Glee Club on February 17, 1919. In 1947, the club "Tiger Brotherhood" decided that, rather than continue borrowing another school's melody, the university should compose its own. As a result, the Tiger Brotherhood sponsored a contest to have Clemson students compose a unique melody. On May 5, 1947, Clemson University's school newspaper "The Tiger" announced Robert E. Farmer of
Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-most populous city in South Carolina. It is one of the principal cities in the Gree ...
, a member of the glee club at the time, as the winner. Farmer's melody was slightly altered in 1970 but was restored to its original tune in 2009.


Fight song

The university's fight song is the
jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...
, the " Tiger Rag".


Memorial Stadium traditions


Athletics

Clemson University teams are known as the Tigers. They compete as a member of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sub-level for football), primarily competing in the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
(ACC) for all sports since the 1953–54 season. Men's sports include
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
, basketball, cross country,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field, while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, tennis, track & field, softball, and volleyball. The most-prominent athletics facilities on campus are Memorial Stadium, Littlejohn Coliseum, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Historic Riggs Field, and Fike Recreation Center. In 2020, university officials decided to dissolve its Men's Track and Field and Cross Country teams at the end of the academic year. Despite pressure from student activists, the university did not reverse its decision until a class-action Title IX lawsuit was formed. Following pressure from state officials, the university reversed its decision on April 22, 2021. The university followed this by announcing the additions of women's
lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
and
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
. File:MemorialStadiumSept2006.jpg, Memorial Stadium File:Littlejohn_Coliseum_Nov_11_2016.jpg, Littlejohn Coliseum File:Clemson baseball panoramic 1.jpg, Doug Kingsmore Stadium File:Riggs Field At Clemson university.JPG, Riggs Field File:CU Fike Recreation Center Aug2010.jpg, Fike Recreation Center File:CU Jervey Gym Aug2010.jpg, Jervey Athletic Center


Public safety and governance

Clemson University operates with the Clemson University Police Department and the Clemson University Fire & EMS for public safety needs. Both departments are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Clemson University Fire & EMS has two stations: the headquarters at 1521 Perimeter Road, and a second station at 740 Issaqueena Trail. The Police Department is located at 124 Ravenel Center Place, Seneca. Clemson University Fire Department provides fire protection to the City of Clemson. The governing body of the municipal corporation of Clemson University is the university's board of trustees. Clemson University has its own municipal court, which is housed in Gentry Hall. The judge of that court is appointed by the board of trustees, and the Clemson student affairs division manages the court. The university may not put in place its own taxes, and purchasing of food and beverage does not come with additional taxes that the City of Clemson levies in its jurisdiction. Additionally, Clemson University has its own policies on the open carrying of alcohol while the municipal code of the City of Clemson explicitly forbids open carrying of alcohol.


Notable alumni


Notable faculty

* John Ballato, Professor of
materials science Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries. The intellectual origins of materials sci ...
and engineering,
electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and
computer engineering Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engi ...
. * Donald D. Clayton, Professor of Physics & Astronomy * Murray S. Daw, Professor of Physics * Thomas Hazlett, Professor of Economics * John W. Huffman, Professor of Chemistry * Jo Jorgensen, libertarian political activist and the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in the 2020 election * Donald Liebenberg, Professor of Physics and Astronomy * Trudy Mackay, Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry * Michael J. Padilla, former Director of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education * June Pilcher, Professor of Psychology * Ramakrishna Podila, Professor of Physics * Apparao M. Rao, Professor of Physics * David Reinking, Professor of Education * C. Bradley Thompson, Professor of Political Science * Robert Tollison, Professor of Economics * Antony Valentini, Professor of Physics and Astronomy * Nicholas Vazsonyi, Dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities * Victor J. Vitanza, Professor of Rhetoric * Bruce Yandle, Professor of Economics


Explanatory notes

: The local pronunciation of ''Clemson'' is lɛmpsən Because of the pin–pen merger in
Southern American English Southern American English or Southern U.S. English is a regional dialect or collection of dialects of American English spoken throughout the Southern United States, primarily by White Southerners and increasingly concentrated in more rural areas ...
, can be substituted for as the first vowel, as lɪmpsən Those not familiar with the local pronunciation often say lɛmzənor lɛmsən as the spelling would suggest. See generall
''The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary English Pronunciation''


References

Notes


External links

*
Clemson Athletics website
{{Authority control Land-grant universities and colleges Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Public universities and colleges in South Carolina Clemson, South Carolina 1889 establishments in South Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1889 Universities and colleges in Pickens County, South Carolina