Clemson alumnus endows program to promote academic success
April 25, 2012
CLEMSON, SC – April 25, 2012 – A Clemson University alumnus and veterinarian whoestablished one of the most successful animal clinics in North Carolinahas made a gift to ensure that students at his alma mater will besupported in their own paths to success.
Dr. Theodore “Ted”G. Westmoreland of Shelby, N.C., has given $1.5 million to endow theacademic success program in the university’s new Class of 1956 AcademicSuccess Center.
“This gift will link Ted Westmoreland’s namewith the university’s commitment to student success, a fitting tributeto a man who has experienced success in every part of his life,” saidClemson President James F. Barker. “This program will serve as a livinglegacy of Ted Westmoreland and the character he embodies.”
Established in 2001, Clemson’s Academic Success Center has beenrecognized nationally and internationally by organizations related totutoring, supplemental instruction and collegiate learning. For its 50thanniversary, the Class of 1956 initiated fundraising for a newbuilding, which opened earlier this semester and was dedicated April 12.Westmoreland is a member of the Class of 1956 and, in addition tofunding the endowment, made the largest single gift to the buildingfund.
“I am pleased to have my name linked with the academicsuccess program,” said Westmoreland. “I believe in the value of aClemson education, and this program continues to assist students ingetting the most out of that education.”
The Dr. Ted G.Westmoreland Academic Success Program will be housed in The Class of1956 Academic Success Center, along with disability services, thewriting center and additional tutoring, supplemental instruction andePortfolio classroom space.
“I have watched many studentsexperience academic success as a direct result of our programs anddedicated staff,” said Dr. Elaine Richardson, center director. “Thesignificance of the Westmoreland gift is that we now will have not only agreat new facility, but an endowment to ensure that what happens in thebuilding will serve our students for years and years to come.
“This ensures the future of this program that is changing lives and helping students live up to their full potential,” she said.
Following two years of pre-veterinary study at Clemson, Westmorelandwas accepted at the University of Georgia and received his Doctor ofVeterinary Medicine in 1958. Commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. AirForce, he served as base veterinarian and assistant preventive medicineofficer at Charleston Air Force Base.
Westmoreland has spentfive decades as the owner of Boulevard Animal Hospital, P.A., in Shelby.At age 78, he continues working tirelessly to care for generations ofanimals and their owners. His River Hill Angus Farm produced renownedbreeding stock for purebred herds across the United States andArgentina. He twice served as president of the North Carolina AngusAssociation. Upon exiting the cattle business in 1991, he generouslydonated the bulk of his valuable herd to Clemson.
Westmoreland’s energy and resources have positively impactedathletics and academics at Clemson. He is a recipient of theDistinguished Service Award, the university’s highest alumni honor. Alife member of Clemson’s IPTAY program, he has been a supporter of theWestZone and other strategic initiatives for student athletes. In 1996,he established the T.G. Westmoreland Scholarship Endowment to assistanimal and veterinary science majors. Westmoreland has served as adirector for the Clemson University Robert J. Rutland Institute forEthics.
Westmoreland is married to Margaret Corbett Westmoreland, and they have five children and nine grandchildren.
This gift is part of Clemson’s The Will to Lead capital campaign to raise $600 million to support Clemson students andfaculty with scholarships, professorships, facilities, technology andenhanced opportunities for learning and research.
