Melsheimer recognized by ACTFL

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) presented its 2001 Edwin Cudecki International Business Award to Stephen S. Melsheimer, associate dean of engineering and science for undergraduate studies. The Cudecki Award was established to recognize individuals who have developed ties between international business language education, and international studies.

A chemical engineer by training and profession, Melsheimer was recognized for his contributions to the Engineering Program for International Careers (EPIC). In the initial phases of the program, he visited many of the international firms in South Carolina that employ engineers, such as BASF, BMW, and Michelin, to convince them to offer internships to qualified Clemson engineering students, first in their domestic operations and later, in their operations abroad. Melsheimer is so convinced of the importance of language study, that even as a professor of engineering he put himself through the rigors of German study and successfully passed the Goethe Institut's Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache exam. The impact of his leadership in bringing together language and culture study and international business and engineering is felt by students and the business and engineering communities in countries on five continents.