Clemson Hosts Commissioner’s School

As many high school students around the nation were dreading the returning to the classroom, 37 high-achieving students got a jump start on the future by participating in the South Carolina Commissioner’s School of Agriculture at Clemson University.  

The Commissioner’s School is a summer program that challenges rising juniors and seniors to consider academic programs and careers in agriculture and natural resources. The program is a collaboration between ClemsonUniversity and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

The students spent a week exploring both educational and career opportunities in science, business, management and technology. Each participant chose an academic track related to their interests in the animal, plant, or environmental sciences. The students also took field trips to ClemsonUniversity research farms, the ClemsonExperimentalForest and a rafting trip on the ChattoogaRiver.

The Commissioner’s School for Agriculture was started in 2004 by ClemsonUniversity Director of Extension Tom Dobbins and has served more than 375 students from 45 South Carolina counties and 12 states. Seventy percent of its alumni have gone on to study in related areas at Clemson and most of those hold careers in fields relating to agriculture, natural resources and the life sciences.