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Clyburn to address MUSC Class of 2001 May 18

MUSC's 172nd commencement will be held 9 a.m. May 18 on the horseshoe of the MUSC campus. Approximately 718 students are expected to receive degrees from the university's six colleges.

Congressman James E. (Jim) Clyburn will present the commencement address.  Scheduled to receive honorary degrees are:

  • Charles P. Darby Jr., M.D., chairman of the MUSC Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in chief of the MUSC Children's Healthcare Services
  • Nettie Dickerson, founder and CEO of Bankair, an air transportation service for South Carolina banks and chair emeritus of the MUSC College of Nursing Advisory Committee
  • Representative Robert W. (Bobby) Harrell, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the SC House of Representatives
  • William B. Hewitt—president of Sirius Ventures, Inc., a consulting firm and chairman of the Board of Directors of MUSC's Health Sciences Foundation 
Clyburn represents South Caro-lina's Sixth Congressional District. He is a native of Sumter and currently resides in Columbia. First elected to Congress in 1992, Clyburn is the first black to represent South Carolina in Congress since post Reconstruction.  He chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. 

A member of the House Appropriations Committee, Clyburn is nationally recognized as a leader in historic preservation issues. He has worked with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to have all 103 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) designated in its 10 most endangered historic sites in America listing for 1998 and spearheaded the HBCU Historic Preservation Program which provides funds for renovation and preservation of historic buildings on campus.

Clyburn is also well known for his leadership in the field of transportation policy and funding.  As a member of the Conference Committee which hammered out negotiations resulting in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, Clyburn had a key role in influencing national transportation policy. He received the South Carolina Transportation Advocate of the Year Award by the South Carolina Transportation Policy and Research Council.

A graduate of South Carolina State University, Clyburn completed the South Carolina Executive Institute.  He has been awarded honorary degrees from 12 colleges and universities.