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Corrine Sawyer was an Honors Program and English Professor
0:20 Sawyer discusses the honors program and those in charge when she arrived. Claude Green was in charge at the time. In January 1972, Sawyer became head of the honors program; she was also in charge of scholarships and awards.
3:43 Sawyer explains how the large freshmen classes could devote one or two sections to honors, which were more challenging than the regular classes.
6:18 The university must operate efficiently, and Clemson does the best it can to hold down class size in order that things run effectively in terms of production.
8:00 She recalls the selection process for honors teachers.
10:35 Sawyer describes the tutorial presentation, which is the second part of the honors program. This program goes into effect when there aren't enough students to offer a separate honors section; this frequently happens in language programs.
15:02 The honors students work more closely with the teacher. Each teacher had their own way for students to earn honors credit.
16:40 Sawyer was asked to split responsibilities between administration and teaching.
17:18 In 1979, Sawyer began to work full time on honors, scholarships, and awards.
18:13 She eventually passed the honors program on to Jack Stevenson, who was chosen by a faculty committee.
19:10 Dean Hurst and President Edwards put a plan together that ended with Sawyer moving into administration full time.
20:02 The administrators at Clemson are in general understaffed. She and her secretary handle multiple jobs.
23:07 There really aren't enough scholarships, in her opinion. All scholarships are private gifts, and no state money goes into Clemson scholarships. The university is best equipped to know which majors and which aspect of incoming students to recognize. They know where they need emphasis.
26:40 She feels some scholarship funds are lacking, especially with minorities. There is a push to have more scholarships specifically for black students.
30:40 Audio ends.
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Virginia Shanklin was the secretary for President Edwards.
1:39 Shanklin talks about her job description and what she did on a regular basis,
2:45 She comments on how the government sent students to Clemson during the war because of how small the student body was.
3:32 Shanklin initially came to Clemson in 1924 to work for Mr. Littlejohn. She took a short leave of absence, but later came back because the job offer was too good to refuse. She returned when Dr. Earl was acting president.
6:07 She retired in 1965 after having worked at Clemson for 40 years.
6:19 She talks about the CMP report and how it brought about much in the way of change.
7:11 Shanklin recalls working under President Pool before she worked with President. Edwards. She goes on to discuss the effects and aftermath of Pool's sudden death.
9:08 Regarding initial reaction to the CMP report: many were unsettled because it recommended sweeping change. It turned out to be a positive step in the long run.
10:56 She says Edwards was a very hard worker. No matter how hard you worked, Edwards would outdo you.
13:30 Edwards was a businessman. He didn't have the academic training and he wanted things run like a business. He recognized from the business world that salaries should be higher in order to stay competitive.
15:30 Edwards wasn't from the academic world; he looked to others for help and relied on them. Edwards would give full credit to the Deans; he developed a strong working partnership with them.
17:33 Clemson handled integration so well in large part because Edwards planned and prepared for it with outstanding cooperation between people at Clemson and state officials. Integration in South Carolina went rather well compared to other states like Georgia and Mississippi.
20:40 Shanklin gives final comment on her years spent at Clemson.
21:48 Audio ends.
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Melford A. Wilson was the Vice President of Business & Finance.
0:14 Wilson dealt with both the president and vice president's of the university on a regular basis. The Deans of the university represented functions or areas of work. Wilson would talk with the Deans about the needs of their programs. He also talked to them about business management and allocations of funds.
2:38 Business management in an institution is not unlike a service organization.
5:01 How did Wilson help? He often acted as a catalyst for talks with the Attorney General, State Treasurer, or Budget Control Board when necessary.
5:38 Wilson uses Olin Garrison as an example of how he typically worked out budgetary issues.
8:04 Wilson said he didn't respect any faculty member or dean that couldn't put his/her best food forward, because ultimately that's what they're hired for.
8:47 He never set a single person's salary.
10:44 How did Wilson work with the Dean? He had a Dean of the college that the Deans reported to, and then the Dean would refer to Wilson.
11:45 Wilson became Vice President of Business and Finance. Before he was at Clemson, Littlejohn was the Business Manager, and A.J. Brown was Treasurer and Secretary of the Board.
15:40 Wilson dealt extensively with the Office of the President, and he was responsible for his certain area of business and finance. It was up to Wilson to keep the President informed; they had to work together as a team. He was there to help the President and the Board of Trustees in any way he could. Wilson would always try to refer to the President's opinion on issues.
21:15 Wilson's first meeting was on July 1, 1955 after the Cresap, McCormick, and Paget report recommended candidates for several new positions.
24:35 Edwards provided outstanding leadership to the University. He had a fantastic capacity for going into details in almost any facet. He was a very dynamic leader and did all he could to improve salaries, obtain funds for new building projects, and get everyone's full cooperation. He had the fortitude to do things when they weren't necessarily popular, like integration for example. He also was very good about keeping people informed.
27:46 Audio ends.
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Kenneth N. Vickery served as the registrar and as a dean of Clemson University. Vickery also served as the President of the Atlantic Coast Conference from 1976-1977.
Side 1
1:14 Vickery was on a College Board panel for the retention of athletes. He talks about the College Board exam and the fact that not all colleges currently had it.
3:00 He discusses the establishment and evolution of the college testing program. In the fall of 1961, the ACC set the SAT minimum at 800 (it was previously 750).
3:53 The Big 10 started academic standards/regulations in 1961. They had a program that awarded grants and aids based on scores and rank, but that had nothing to do with admissions. The students also needed a 1.7 grade point.
5:26 When the new requirements were adopted, institutions had 3 options. They could do an institutional test, use a conference table, or use a national table. The ACC went to the national table, but not many institutions went to that table because it was the highest standard. The NCAA was lenient at first about the options, but it later became stricter.
7:37 Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Florida all had College Boards, but the rest of the conference did not have much experience.
8:38 The 1.6 requirement was adopted in 1965, and it went into effect on January 1, 1966. It only governed NCAA post season events.
11:05 Vickery is asked how Clemson compared to other schools. Clemson is part of a conference with the highest standards. Clemson had a limitation on scholarships that the NCAA did not yet have. Athletes always had to meet the highest minimum standard at Clemson.
14:30 He comments on the situation at the University of Georgia where a teacher was accused of giving athletes grades. This type of situation never existed at Clemson because Clemson did not have classes like that. Students select a major from the beginning and take classes in that major immediately. There is not special group of athletic courses at Clemson.
19:58 What was Clemson's involvement in helping to establish the standards for the ACC? Clemson had the 750 on the SAT requirement in 1961, and the NCAA adopted it in 1965.
22:50 Vickery discusses the aspects of increasing minimum standards. The increase improved the ability to predict achievement based on scores and rank.
23:40 Clemson started requiring test, which was a big step for a state institution.
25:02 Clemson worked with USC, Wofford, Winthrop, and later the Citadel to form their own testing program. It consisted of about four different tests. They eventually gave that up and joined the College Board because they needed more than four test scores.
26:58 1958 was the year when the four schools got together and decided to put the minimum standards on admissions. This is when Clemson achieved national recognition.
28:56 The ACT was organized and gave its first test in 1958.
29:28 Before 1958, most students that graduated from a state high school were automatically accepted into state institutions.
30:10 Clemson was a leader with testing in both the state of South Carolina and in the nation.
30:35 Audio ends.
Side 2
1:31 By 1959, Clemson was already known for their academic requirements. Vickery would travel to conferences around the country to discuss them.
2:15 In 1965, the NCAA passed the 1.6 grade point requirement.
4:03 A permanent spot was created on the Committee of Academic Test and Requirements of the NCAA for a representative of the American Registrar Association.
5:53 Vickery discusses aspects of "residual tests" which were taken on campus. These were used at institutions where other testing was not available.
7:38 Even though athletes had to take the same tests as everyone else and meet NCAA/ ACC standards, there were some exceptions made at ACC schools.
10:02 In 1961-1962, ACT and SAT officials guaranteed that students would not have to drive over 75 miles to get to a test center.
11:03 Vickery feels that the passing of academic requirements could be one of the most important factors in assisting some institutions in their attempt to improve academic standards.
11:57 In 1970, the ACT tested 1 million people. The growth of the amount of people testes was in many ways stimulated by the 1.6 requirement.
12:38 Institutions want integrity and were trying to do a better job in selecting students.
13:37 Clemson had been using the placement test for quite a while.
14:09 He discusses the College Board advanced placement program. Vickery used this program as a recruitment device since students could earn college credit. It was started in the early 1970s.
16:35 The testing paid off because it attracted better students to Clemson. Clemson was recognized through the southeast as being a leader with the AP program.
17:55 Clemson's reputation for testing let to Vickery's personal involvement with the NCAA and the American Registrar Association. He makes comment on how the NCAA and American Registrar Association worked together.
19:56 Audio ends.