UofSC receives $1.5 million gift from Boeing, establishes Clyburn endowment

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The University of South Carolina received a gift of $1.5 million from Boeing to establish an endowment to further community outreach and programming.

UofSC said the gift establishes the James E. and Emily E. Clyburn Endowed Chair of Public Service and Civic Engagement Fund. The endowment chair was awarded to Associate Professor Bobby Donaldson. It will allow the university’s Center for Civil Rights and History and Research to expand its work in the community and across the state.

The center was founded in 2015 and chronicles the contributions of SC to the American civil rights movement. Clyburn donated his congressional papers to the center. The papers, the Justice for All exhibit, and a partnership with the National Park Service are used by the center to help highlight the state’s role in civil rights history.

Thursday’s ceremony included UofSC President Michael Amiridis, U.S. Rep James Clyburn, members of Boeing, Donaldson, and university officials.

Amiridis said. “Through this generous gift, we are proud to join Boeing in honoring the outstanding civic contributions of Congressman Clyburn and his wife, Emily, and advancing their legacy of public service and outreach.”

Endowed chairs are a way for the university to recognize faculty. Boeing’s funding comes as part of their continuing philanthropic assistance to UofSC. In 2021 Boeing provided $225,000 in grant funding in support of the university’s Veterans Legal Clinic and to expand its legal services for low-income veterans. The company also provided a further $125,000 in 2022.

Congressman Clyburn said,

“This center serves as the premier repository of our civil rights history in South Carolina, and will be a significant conduit by which future generations will learn lessons that hopefully help ensure we don’t repeat our past mistakes. Today’s announcement furthers the mission and reach of the center with a talented leader at the helm, who is dedicated to engaging the community in a public discourse about our past, present, and future.”

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