Somehow, we’re already at the end of the fall semester and almost to the end of the year. This issue will be the last of The Tiger’s Volume 118 and our last of 2024. This year has been an incredible one for our organization, and I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished this semester.
This year, we have printed 15 issues, with today’s making it 16. We’ve continued to produce some of our most popular special editions with The Kitten, our satire edition in honor of April Fools, and The Best of Clemson, which brings the entire Clemson community together. We also worked with Ready, Set, Roar! to distribute our second-annual orientation edition over the summer, providing all incoming freshmen and transfer students with the information they need to know before starting the fall semester.
Speaking of collaborations, just last week, we collaborated with The Daily Gamecock — the University of South Carolina’s student newspaper — for our first-ever rivalry partnership. This is the first time in my time at Clemson our two newspapers have collaborated and the first time we’ve worked together to produce rivalry content. While it required copious amounts of planning, I’m excited for this partnership to continue into the future.
As in past years, The Tiger has continued to provide our reporters with exclusive travel opportunities. In 2024, we saw our news department travel to cover the quarterly board of trustees meeting in Charleston, where they had the opportunity to sit on the hearings and even meet President Clements. As in the past, our sports department has continued to follow the Tigers across the country, from football games in Tallahassee, Florida, to covering Clemson basketball’s historic March Madness run.
The Tiger swept in multiple awards, both in-state and on the national level. In the South Carolina Press Association’s Collegiate Contest, The Tiger won first place in six categories, including the coveted Journalist of the Year. We also placed second four times and third in seven categories.
On the national level, The Tiger was recognized in the ACP Spring Clips & Clicks, receiving an honorable mention for sports story and second place in the sports photo category. While we don’t put in all this effort solely for the awards, it’s a wonderful feeling to see my staffers recognized for their incredible work.
Lastly, The Tiger has followed the transition to digital media well, both on our website and social media. Our incredible communications team hit 6,000 followers on Instagram, and our website has averaged double the page reads this fall semester compared to 2023’s.
It’s been an honor to lead South Carolina’s oldest collegiate newspaper for half this year and to oversee this hard-working, diligent staff. This year has been historic for our organization, and I cannot wait to see what we’ll accomplish in the new year.
