SC State inducts four scholars into Clyburn Honors College

In a breakfast ceremony at the Presidents’ State Room on the campus, the following were added to the cohort:

• Jara E. Davis, a political science/pre-law major from Darlington.

• Shawnterriah M. Geddis, a biology major from Summerville.

• Lauren V. Johnson, a psychology major from Ladson.

• Tamara S. Keller, a biology major from St. Matthews.

The four represent the sixth class of inductees since the Clyburn Scholars program began in 2017, bringing the total number of scholars supported by the program to 27.

Funded largely through the generosity of U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn and his family, the college is named for the congressman’s late wife, Dr. Emily England Clyburn, who considered the honors program one of her most important endeavors. Both James and Emily Clyburn graduated from the university in 1961.

Honors College Dean William H. Whitaker Jr. on Friday also bestowed honorary membership in the Honors College to the Clyburns. Two of the Clyburns’ three daughters, Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed and Angela Clyburn, accepted the honors on their parents’ behalf.

The congressman usually welcomes the new scholars in person each year, but he was in Washington on Friday for congressional business. He addressed the inductees via phone, advising them to learn history regardless of their majors to prevent the mistakes of the past from happening again.

SC State President Alexander Conyers and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Frederick M.G. Evans also honored the new inductees at the ceremony. Together with Whitaker, they presented each new scholar with an Honors Scholars stole and certificate.

SC State’s Mr. Honors College Kenard Holmes and Miss Honors College Bailey Scott were the emcees for the event. Holmes also delivered the benediction for the breakfast and the challenge to inductees.

About the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College

The Honors College is designed to provide the best possible education for the exceptional student. The Honors College contributes to the strategic plan of the university of attracting gifted and talented students and retaining them until graduation through the creation of a community of scholars, thereby impacting the intellectualization of the entire campus. The Honors Program at South Carolina State University was initiated in the fall of 1988, and in Fall 2010, the program was elevated to Honors College status.

About Dr. Emily England Clyburn

After earning her bachelor’s degree in library science from SC State in 1961, Emily Clyburn furthered her studies at Atlanta University and the University of South Carolina, where in 1977 she earned a master’s degree in librarianship. SCSU awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at its 2010 Spring Commencement. She was a public school librarian in Columbia and Charleston before spending 29 years as a medical librarian at the Charleston Naval Base and Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia.