Clemson World Winter issue; Judge Gary Clary named first Jurist-in-Residence; From desert duty to first pitch

DAILY NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 24, 2026

ABOVE THE FOLD

Good morning! The latest issue of Clemson World is arriving in mailboxes soon. Judge Gary Clary has been named Clemson’s first Jurist-in-Residence; Learn about a student veteran's journey from deployment to throwing the first pitch on Clemson Baseball's opening weekend.

Patrick Wechter, Zack Snipes and Sandra Branham.

What to know today:

The “Research in Focus” issue of Clemson World is headed to a mailbox near you! The winter issue's cover story highlights the work of Clemson plant geneticists, South Carolina growers and state Extension agents — all working in the service of improved crop production.

Also in this issue: Discover the story of a doctoral student who investigates the universe by skydiving, celebrate 15 years of health care innovation at CUBEInC, learn beekeeping for beginners and more.

Clemson University has announced the creation of a new Jurist-in-Residence program to give students and faculty the opportunity to learn directly from distinguished judges and attorneys. Judge Gary Clary, retired Circuit Court Judge, former state legislator and longtime Clemson leader, has been named Clemson’s first Jurist-in-Residence.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Three student hold up merchandise and apparel for the hackathon.

This Friday evening, more than 300 competitors from across the country will gather at Clemson University for its annual CUhackit hackathon, where college students will tackle challenges that test their programming, engineering, design, teamwork, and product-pitching skills.

Producers are invited to join agricultural specialists, researchers and Extension professionals from across the Southeast for the Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Conference on March 30. The three-day event takes place at the Edisto Research and Education Center.

DESERT DUTY TO FIRST PITCH

Gavin White throws a pitch from the baseball mound.

When Clemson Baseball celebrated Military Appreciation Day last year, Gavin White's "Hero of the Game" message was shared through video, while he was serving in the Middle East with the Army National Guard. Fast forward nearly a year later, White tossed the ceremonial first pitch in the team's season-opening series against Army West Point — a full-circle moment for White in Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

MORE FROM TIGERTOWN

Clemson's Cemetery Hill will host a Day of Remembrance on March 3 to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Carrel Cowan-Ricks, the archaeologist who conducted extensive research on the African American Burial Ground at Cemetery Hill in the 1990s. The event is open to all faculty, staff and students.

The Creative Inquiry Mentor Forum is set for Friday, March 6. All mentors and interested faculty, staff and graduate students are invited to attend and must RSVP by February 27.

Clemson Online is hosting various training sessions on March 9-12 as part of Canvas Accessibility Week, with a primary focus on making course materials more accessible. The sessions are open to all instructors.

EMPLOYEE SHOUT-OUTS

Today's shout-outs feature Levi Roach, Brittany Sanders-Bell, the Department of Residential Living, Leah Qualkinbush, Daja Daniels and Emily Goodyear! Fill out our short nomination form to include your colleagues in future editions and check out previous shout-outs!