A senate RESOLUTION

 

TO RECOGNIZE March 3, 2026, AS "Clemson DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

Whereas, Clemson University was founded in 1889 through a bequest to the State of South Carolina from Thomas Green Clemson, a Philadelphia-born, European-educated engineer, musician, and artist who married John C. Calhoun's daughter, Anna, and settled at her family estate in South Carolina; and

 

Whereas, Clemson's campus is the entire State of South Carolina, with the university having a presence in every county in South Carolina: agriculture research centers from the Piedmont to the Coast, youth programs that serve more than one hundred thousand young people per year, and innovation campuses devoted to research and economic development in Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, and North Charleston to support both existing and emerging industry clusters ranging from agribusiness and manufacturing to aviation and advanced materials; and

 

Whereas, Clemson's annual economic impact is over six billion dollars, resulting in over thirty-seven thousand jobs statewide and generating more than one hundred fourteen million dollars in annual tax revenue according to a recent external study; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University is designated as a Tier 1 Research Institution by the Carnegie Foundation, which puts it among the top universities in the nation in research output; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University continues to be a highly ranked public university in America and has also earned top rankings for graduation rates, value, efficiency and return on investment while maintaining an outstanding student experience; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University is home to the State's first-ever Veterinary School, the Harvey S. Peeler, Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, which is expected to enroll its inaugural class in the Fall of 2026; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University received more than sixty-five thousand applications for enrollment this year and offers a path to a Clemson degree to more than ninety percent of South Carolina applicants each year; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University was ranked as the top college in South Carolina and number twenty in the South in Forbes 2026 America's Top Colleges list, and it was named the Best College in South Carolina in Niche's 2026 Best College Rankings, earning top marks for Best Academics, Best Professors, and Best College Athletics among all universities in the Palmetto State; and

 

Whereas, Clemson University is part of a national system of land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, providing statewide research, extension, and regulatory programs (Public Service Activities) to enhance economic growth in South Carolina's agribusiness and forestry industries through a continuous flow of knowledge to farmers, foresters, and land managers; and

 

Whereas, for more than one hundred thirty years, Clemson University has continued to fulfill the covenant between its founder and the people of South Carolina as a high seminary of learning and improving the economy of the State through its historical land-grant responsibilities of teaching, research, and extended public service.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate:

 

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize March 3, 2026 as "Clemson Day" in South Carolina.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the interim president of Clemson University, Robert H. Jones, Ph.D.

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