A Concept Paper

7 March 2017

Introduction Over the coming decade, the Caribbean region will likely become a significant focus of attention for US interests. Environmental systems and climate change link the Caribbean and the US—from hurricane tracks to migratory and invasive species to the northward migration of tropical diseases. Economic systems link the region and the US, particularly as Cuba and the US slowly normalize relations and trade, and reconfigure economic relations throughout the Caribbean. Increased cultural ties, educational opportunities, and scientific and scholarly partnerships are likely to become important elements of US foreign policy in the region, business interests, and people-to-people exchange. Clemson University is well positioned to become a leading university in this geopolitical and economic shift. It is one of the few outstanding universities in the American South with a land grant mission relevant to the needs of the region. It has an enthused and skilled faculty, with many having specialized experience and expertise useful to the region (see Appendix for a sampling of current Clemson faculty Caribbean projects), and a growing graduate student population that can serve as talented partners in exchange efforts. The University administration is committed to Clemson being a national and international leader, and its aspirational goals for research make international scientific and scholarly collaboration necessary and essential. For these reasons, a Clemson Caribbean Initiative (CCI) is proposed. Core Principles While the formal mission, organizational structure, projects, funding and administrative support remain to be developed, a few core principles can be described: 1. The Clemson Caribbean Initiative should encompass all elements of the land grant mission—teaching, research, and service. Clemson University should act as a catalyst and enabler for sustainability, via partnerships with host communities and institutions. 2. The Initiative should be university-wide, and engage the sciences, arts and humanities, and professional and applied fields. 3. It should be a partnership between the faculty and administration, link to ClemsonForward and the University’s aspirational goals, and reflect a faculty-driven process of development and governance.

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4. It should reflect the needs of the Caribbean region, bring regional stakeholders into its priorities, planning, and activities, and develop partnerships based on mutual respect and cooperation. 5. It should foster planning, funding, collaboration, governance, and evaluation strategies that help ensure its long-term sustainability as a University initiative. First Steps There are several important first steps in establishing and implementing a Clemson Caribbean Initiative. Steps already completed are in italics. 1. The University administration should be briefed and the Provost should endorse moving forward following the principles described above. 2. A small (<6 persons) initial Steering Committee, made up of faculty and administrators, should be formed and given responsibility for advancing the Initiative in its early stages. The Steering Committee currently includes: Sharon Nagy (co-chair), Gary Machlis (co-chair, George Askew, Jean McKendry, Arelis Moore de Peralta, and Jeff Plumblee. 3. The Steering Committee should plan and host an inaugural University-wide Caribbean Initiative Planning Forum, to be held 7 March 2017. 4. From the Planning Forum, a brief and basic guidance paper should be generated by an expanded Steering Committee, for wide review and comment within the University community, and its final iteration approved by the Provost. This document would guide the next steps in building the Clemson Caribbean Initiative. About the 7 March 2017 Planning Forum The Planning Forum has as its objectives: 1) to raise awareness of the proposed Clemson Caribbean Initiative, 2) to bring together a community of interested administrators, faculty, and staff, 3) to solicit from this community perspectives and specific recommendations regarding the purpose, structure, priorities, and activities of the Caribbean Initiative, 4) to announce an interdisciplinary Caribbean seed grant program, and 5) to initiate the process of developing the brief guidance document. Conclusion Over the coming decade, the Caribbean region will become more important to US interests. Universities will play an important role in meeting these interests, and Clemson University can be a leading American land grant institution in the Caribbean. The proposed Clemson Caribbean Initiative can encourage, empower that leadership.

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Appendix: Selected Faculty Projects in the Caribbean Region

Professor Scott Brames in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences is working in Dominica on a spring break program for students to examine the volcanic arc and geo-thermally active areas. Professor Cameron Bushnell in the Department of English traveled to Dominica as part of her work with race and ethnicity. Professor Jim Castle in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences worked in the Bahamas on the Bahamian field study spring break program. Professor Stephanie Cretté in the Department of Planning, Development, and Preservation worked in Cuba exploring opportunities relevant to the Conservation Center at the Clemson University Restoration Institute. Professor Stephanie Davis in the School of Nursing will travel to the Dominican Republic in March 2017 to lead a group of students on a Volunteers in Medical Missions project. Professor Andrea Feeser in the Department of Art worked in Haiti on the project, Training Tomorrow’s Trainers: Cultivating and Dyeing with Indigo in Jérémie and Abricots, Haiti for Cultural and Economic Empowerment. Professor Brent Fortenberry in the Department of Planning, Development, and Preservation is working in Bermuda with students to complete architectural documentation drawings for 250 historic buildings in the town of St. Georges.He is also working in Bermuda to mitigate the effects of hotel expansion on a 17th century house. Professors Carter Hudgins and Amalia Lafeist in the Department of Planning, Development, and Preservation traveled to Cuba to conduct a site visit and survey. Professors Carter Hudgins and Richard Marks in the Department of Planning, Development, and Preservation are working in the Bahamas providing technical assistance to nonprofit historic preservation groups. Rob Krulac in Business Development at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research traveled to Cuba exploring opportunities relevant to CU-ICAR. Professor Gary Machlis, University Professor of Environmental Sustainability, is collaborating with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in developing educational and scientific capacity in Haiti, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Professor Kim Manganelli in the Department of English focused on Jamaica and Saint-Domingue in a chapter in her book Transatlantic Spectacles of Race: The Tragic Mulatta as a Tragic Muse. Professors Stephen Moysey and Scott Brames in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences are working in Dominica through an NSF supplement request building an affective pathway to the geosciences through experiential learning. Professor Angela Naimu in the Department of English published the book Salvage Work: U.S. and Caribbean Literatures amid the Debris of Legal Personhood. Professor Jennifer Ogle in the Department of Civil Engineering is working in Dominica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti on an engineering study abroad program.

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Professor Weichiang Pang in the Department of Civil Engineering is working in Haiti on a Creative Inquiry (CI) project aiming to address the sub-standard and dangerous construction of buildings. Professor Arelis Moore de Peralta in the Department of Languages and the Department of Youth, Family, and Community Studies is working in the Dominican Republic doing community development and public health incorporating student study abroad. Professors Jeff Plumbee and David Vaughn in the Department of Civil Engineering are working in Haiti on a student-directed applied engineering program for a sustainable future for the village of Cange. Professor Mark Small in the Department of Youth, Family, and Community Studies, Professor Jennifer Ogle in the Department of Civil Engineering, and Professor Cameron Bushnell in the Department of English are engaged in community development involving civil engineering and fisheries management in Dominica. Professor Brenda Vander Mey in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice is working in Dominica promoting informed environmental stewardship, formal and informal learning, youth empowerment and leadership, service-learning, and community strengthening.

For more information, contact: Dr. Gary Machlis

University Professor of Environmental Sustainability machlis@clemson.edu

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