Be sure and mark your calendar for the Upstate Regional Summit: Re-Checking our reality, which will be held on September 16, 2014 at the TD Convention Center. The event will run from 9:00 am-1:30 pm and include morning workshops and a luncheon.  

It has been five years since the Upstate Reality Check event asked Upstate residents for their opinions and insight around projected growth. Over the last five years, much has been done across the Upstate with the intention of ensuring the Upstate is growing (both from a physical and social infrastructure standpoint) in a manner that will help the region reach its full potential and remain a great place to live, learn, do business and raise a family for generations to come.

The September Summit will look at some of the challenges and successes faced by the Upstate over the last five years and then gather input and insight from participants on what priorities need to be addressed over the next five years as we continue working collectively to ensure future success across the Upstate.

More details, including keynote speakers, the full program and registration information will be announced in the coming months, but please be sure and block the date on your calendar today.

A limited number of top level sponsorships are available for the summit. You can download the sponsorship package for more information. 

The City of Greer Parks and Recreation Department hosted a one day festival to celebrate international culture in the Upstate. The festival was titled "The City of Greer International Festival: Greer Goes Global". It was held on March 29, 2014, at Greer City Hall. 

The festival was free to the public, and offered entertainment (dancing, singing, etc.), children's crafts and inflatables, visual arts and sports demonstrations. There was an art show displayed during the entire festival, and reception that concluded the festival activities. All festival activities, events and entertainment were produced and influenced by the variety of cultures in and around the Greer area.  

The City of Greer Parks and Recreation Department's goal was to provide a festival that celebrated international culture, strengthened community image, created a sense of place for diverse cultures and allowed local members of the international community to share their customs with others. The festival not only provided an educational experience to those attending by exposing them to international culture, but it also allowed attendees to interact and take part in certain activities, such as the sports demonstrations, inflatables and crafts.

The hope is that "Greer Goes Global" will becoming an annual event, growing each year. The Mayor of Greer, Rick Danner, presented the creator of the Elevate Upstate Grants, Phil Hughes, with a key to the city. 

The 2014 Elevate Upstate Grants application will be available on June 1st and applications will be accepted through September 15th. More information will be available in upcoming issues of the TATT e-newsletter. 

UPSTATE SCHOOLS RECEIVE CLEAN AIR UPSTATE SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL GRANT 

Barry Nocks

Barry Nocks, professor emeritus of city and regional planning at Clemson University, has been named to the College of Fellows by the American Institute for Certified Planners in recognition of his outstanding achievements in urban planning, community service and leadership.

Nocks has 40 years of experience as a practicing planner, educator, administrator, consultant and citizen planner. He directed the master planning process for the Reedy River Corridor in Greenville that provided the framework for the area's redevelopment and the creation of the Swamp Rabbit trail.

Nocks retired from Clemson in 2013, having served as professor, director of the Master of City and Regional Planning program, associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, and director of the Center for Community Growth and Change.

During his 35 years at Clemson, he taught graduate courses in planning theory and process, quantitative methods, social and health planning, local planning administration, planning practice studio and negotiation.

He currently serves on the Planning Accreditation Board, the organization that accredits professional planning programs in the U.S., as well as the Board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. In Greenville, he has served on the City Planning Commission, is currently chair of the city's Design Review Board and has been active in regional planning efforts in the Upstate since 2006, currently serving on the Ten at the Top Board of Directors. He has also been engaged as a consultant and volunteer with a variety of public and private organizations in the Carolinas and throughout the country.

Nocks earned a B.S. degree in industrial engineering/operations research from Cornell University and a Master of Regional Planning and Ph.D. degree in planning from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has lived in Greenville since 1974. His wife Elaine retired from the faculty at Furman University. They have a son and two granddaughters who also live in Greenville.

The 40 honorees will be inducted into the College of Fellows April 27 at a ceremony in Atlanta during the second day of the American Planning Association's 2014 National Planning Conference. With this year's induction, about 400 of the approximately 15,000 Certified planners have become Fellows. Barry Nocks is the fifth planner in S.C. to become a Fellow in the organization.

GWU Planet Forward is partnering with Second Nature to recognize 20 colleges and universities that exemplify the mission of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) of addressing sustainability through education, research, and community engagement.  

Furman has been selected as one of four finalists among baccalaureate universities in the 2014 Climate Leadership Awards.  The Shi Center for Sustainability, under the leadership of Dr. Angela Halfacre, continues to be a leader in this field. 

All of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Award Finalists were asked to create a 1-3 minute video highlighting climate innovations on campus.  The video competition will run from April 1st - 15th.

To watch the video and vote for Furman each day until the 15th, click here 

TEN AT THE TOP THANKS CONTINUING FUNDING PARTNERS