Zucker family to help build Clemson landmark, education in Lowcountry
June 14, 2012
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – June 14, 2012 – Standing at the site of what will be an iconicbuilding named for her family, Anita Zucker, a champion for education inSouth Carolina, said a new wave of manufacturing will provide a wealthof opportunity for the state.
Photo at right: Anita Zucker talks to Clemson University President James F. Barker
With a shared vision, Clemson University will build a state-of-the-art education center at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) on the former Navy base in North Charleston.
The Zucker Family Graduate Education Center, financed in part by a $5million gift from the family, will foster collaboration and innovationin a place where students, university faculty and staff, and privateindustry will interact on a daily basis.
The latestindustries, from composite materials and energy systems to advancedcomputing and microscopy, will engage in public-private partnerships toaccelerate innovations to market.
The center will become a focal point in the drive to advance the state’s economy, Zucker said.
“South Carolina’s Lowcountry has been fortunate in recent years tohave received some notable new residents,” Zucker said. “Clemson’swind-turbine drivetrain testing facility and the Boeing Co.’s Dreamlinerassembly plant are significant for the region.
“But we must not rest on our laurels. The benefits of these newneighbors are far-reaching, she said. “Creating a workforce with theright skills is fundamental to the state’s success and its economicvitality. Centers like this will help place South Carolina at theforefront of innovation.”
Based on experiences gained at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville, where the automotive industry collaborates ona daily basis, the Zucker Family Center at CURI will become the go-toplace for innovation in advanced materials, the environment and sectorsrelated to energy, power systems, logistics and transportation, saidClemson University President James F. Barker.
“What CU-ICAR hasdone to strengthen the automotive cluster in the Upstate, theRestoration Institute is doing in the Lowcountry for advanced materials,the environment and sectors related to energy, power systems, logisticsand transportation,” Barker said.
“The Zucker Family Graduate Education Center will be the hub where all these initiatives meet,” he said.
Clemson is a leader in energy, power and systems engineering, and isrecognized as one of the top 25 public research universities in theUnited States. In collaboration with industry, the university offersadvanced-degree programs and research areas geared toward training anddeveloping energy systems-related engineers.
The RestorationInstitute already has garnered $100 million in investment for researchand development, directly fueling the knowledge base critical to thefuture of South Carolina’s economy.
The Zucker center willfurther stimulate private-public partnerships through the creativeexchange of ideas, said John Kelly, Clemson University vice presidentfor economic development and executive director of the RestorationInstitute.
The center will be built on a brownfield site atthe closed Naval shipyard, and in itself become the essence of economicdevelopment, Kelly said.
“Thanks to the generosity of theZucker family, this facility will support new technology and appliedresearch in ‘living laboratories’ for a wide array of advanced researchand development,” he said. “This center would not be possible withoutthe generosity of the Zucker family and for that vision and willingnessto see South Carolina excel, we are extremely grateful.”
The Zucker family gift is one of the largest in Clemson’s The Will to Lead capital campaign, which aims to raise $600 million to support Clemsonstudents and faculty with scholarships, professorships, facilities,technology and enhanced opportunities for learning and research.
