WATCH: President Clements' heartfelt message to Clemson graduates

Jim Clements is a proud Clemson president

by Tony Crumpton - Assoc. Editor - Thu May 07 10:32:32 GMT-04:00 2020

Congratulations to all the new Clemson graduates!

On Thursday morning, President Jim Clements posted a personal video message to all of Clemson's May graduates that didn't get to have their traditional graduation ceremony because of COVID-19.

Congratulations all of our May graduates. I wish that we could be together at Littlejohn Coliseum to celebrate and I wish that I could shake your hand as you walk across the stage. But even though we can't be together in person, I hope that you are finding other ways to celebrate this major achievement in your life and I promise that we will hold a special ceremony for you in the future when it is safe to do so.

Every single one of you should be extremely proud of what you just accomplished. You graduated from one of the best public universities in the country and you completed your degree under extraordinary circumstances. The class of 2020 will long be remembered for your strength, your resilience, and your perseverance Even though your final semester was not what any of us had ever imagined.

To the #ClassOf2020 – I can’t wait until we can celebrate together. Until then, here is my personal message to you. #ClemsonGrad2020 pic.twitter.com/tCYc1IP5jr
— Jim Clements (@ClemsonPrez) May 7, 2020

I hope that your clubs and experience has been everything that you hope it would be and that you leave Clemson having learned much more than what we taught you in a classroom. I hope that we instilled in you the core values that we hold so dear: honesty, integrity, and respect.
I hope that we challenged you and inspired you to think critically and to be engaged with your community and the world and to make a positive difference every single day because we need you now more than ever.

Make your life matter, make us proud make a difference and Go Tigers!

?? Class of 2020, we wish that we could celebrate with you today in person. We wish that we could watch you turn your @ClemsonAlumni rings and sing our alma mater for the first time as a #Clemson graduate. #ClemsonGrad2020 pic.twitter.com/j1wBRcT5XI
— Clemson University (@ClemsonUniv) May 7, 2020