McElveen Named Alumni Master Teacher

Clemson University students have chosen Carter McElveen as the Alumni Master Teacher for 2017. McElveen is a senior lecturer in the marketing department of the College of Business.

McElveen teaches courses in professional selling and marketing principles, along with leading sales experiential, marketing plan, and stewardship creative inquiries.

The Alumni Master Teacher award for outstanding undergraduate classroom instruction is presented to a faculty member nominated by the student body and selected by the Student Alumni Council.

“I was completely shocked,” said McElveen. “I’m still in shock over it and incredibly humbled and honored to be included in the group of faculty at Clemson that has been named Master Teacher.”

Being a former Student Alumni Council member, Carter knows what goes into selecting a Master Teacher. “I know the process is very competitive,” she said. “I know the award is all encompassing of how you fully engage with your students, and that is my goal. I want to be the best teacher I can be, so this is incredibly validating.”

Student Alumni Council member and Master Teacher award co-chair Margeaux Laschanzky was a student in one of McElveen’s classes.

“Carter truly embodies what it means to be a Master Teacher because she puts her whole heart into her students and into Clemson,” said Laschanzky. “I thought it was the most special ceremony so far because she has so many friends and family show up and because she was on Student Alumni Council.”

To illustrate how she puts her heart into her students, Laschanzky said McElveen takes the time to learn the names of all her students even when she teaches in big lecture halls.

Crawford Phillips, another Alumni Master Teacher award co-chair said many students mentioned that she cares a tremendously about her students’ success both in and outside of the classroom.

“Carter strives to make strong personal connections with each student and touches each of their lives in a unique way,” said Emma Schafer, also an Alumni Master Teacher award co-chair.

McElveen received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Clemson University in 2003, and her Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in 2010.

Before beginning her career at Clemson, McElveen worked as a Sales Representative for Eli Lilly and Company for over 8 years. She has been a professor at Clemson since 2011.

Beyond her teaching duties, McElveen is actively involved as a Master Advisor to undergraduate marketing students, the Delta Sigma Pi Faculty, an Honorary Blue Key Member, and the faculty advisor to the Clemson Chapter of CUMA, the student marketing association.

She has also received the Dean’s Award for Student Engagement in 2015 for her dedication to her students.

“When I started as an undergrad, I had several teachers that were impactful on me and my experience, one being Dr. Mary Anne Raymond, who won the Master Teacher award,” McElveen said. “She hired me and mentored me, and it came full circle because she was there when I received this award.”