2008 Woodie Awards
Campus home to first SC Apple store
By: Cohen Simpson
Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: News
On June 13, 2008, the first Apple store in South Carolina officially opened its doors in Clemson University's Edgar A. Brown Student Union.
The visionary result of Vice Provost and Clemson Computing Information Technology (CCIT) CIO Jim Bottum, the Clemson Apple Store came to fruition after a surge in both faculty and student interest, after CCIT approved of the idea of opening an Apple store on Clemson's campus last year.
"When I started back in 2006, I saw the need for multi-platform support and moved CCIT in that direction," said Bottum.
"The student body saw we were serious about supporting Macs and suggested taking the next step."
Managed by Mike Schulenburg, the Clemson branch will allow students instant access to an eclectic stock of Apple products, including iMacs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros, iPods and Cinema Displays, but will not encompass the iPhone.
The Clemson Apple store carries both models of the campus-recommended Apple laptops at a discounted price that supersedes that of the regular Apple educational discount.
The Macbook is advertised at $1,199 while the Macbook Pro will sell for $1,799.
The store tailors to student needs and will offer an assortment of accessories and third party products such as mice, keyboards, backpacks and cases.
In efforts of giving the store a bit of Clemson flair, Schulenburg and the Clemson Apple Team have already conducted a store- naming contest and will hold a logo contest later this fall, both in pursuit of a student-created brand.
The store will also offer promotional campaigns throughout the year in order to further corral student interest.
Currently, customers are able to purchase a campus-recommended Apple laptop and an iPod simultaneously and receive a rebate of up to $299 - an offer ending Sept. 15.
Plans for the store were put into motion last year by CCIT.
In a 2007 report, it cited the nine Apple Labs spanning four different colleges on the Clemson campus and the 2007 sales of student laptops as points of interest in the discussion of whether or not to move forward in the business venture.
"We discussed the idea with Apple; they were very interested and we found the project feasible," said Bottum. "A few months later, here we are. Once again, Clemson is breaking new ground in South Carolina with the first Apple store in the state."
CCIT further supported the store proposal by claiming that its presence and availability on the campus will place Clemson University among the elite in regard to technology, resulting in an increase in value to a prospective student and a step closer to realizing the University's Top 20 goal.
The celebratory grand opening of the Clemson Apple Store will take place Tuesday, Sept. 25. Semester hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and special hours for gameday will be announced as the semester progresses.
The store offers in house ordering of products not in stock and free shipping with an estimated arrival time of two weeks.
For further information contact the store at 864-656-1563 s to applestore@clemson.edu.
The visionary result of Vice Provost and Clemson Computing Information Technology (CCIT) CIO Jim Bottum, the Clemson Apple Store came to fruition after a surge in both faculty and student interest, after CCIT approved of the idea of opening an Apple store on Clemson's campus last year.
"When I started back in 2006, I saw the need for multi-platform support and moved CCIT in that direction," said Bottum.
"The student body saw we were serious about supporting Macs and suggested taking the next step."
Managed by Mike Schulenburg, the Clemson branch will allow students instant access to an eclectic stock of Apple products, including iMacs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros, iPods and Cinema Displays, but will not encompass the iPhone.
The Clemson Apple store carries both models of the campus-recommended Apple laptops at a discounted price that supersedes that of the regular Apple educational discount.
The Macbook is advertised at $1,199 while the Macbook Pro will sell for $1,799.
The store tailors to student needs and will offer an assortment of accessories and third party products such as mice, keyboards, backpacks and cases.
In efforts of giving the store a bit of Clemson flair, Schulenburg and the Clemson Apple Team have already conducted a store- naming contest and will hold a logo contest later this fall, both in pursuit of a student-created brand.
The store will also offer promotional campaigns throughout the year in order to further corral student interest.
Currently, customers are able to purchase a campus-recommended Apple laptop and an iPod simultaneously and receive a rebate of up to $299 - an offer ending Sept. 15.
Plans for the store were put into motion last year by CCIT.
In a 2007 report, it cited the nine Apple Labs spanning four different colleges on the Clemson campus and the 2007 sales of student laptops as points of interest in the discussion of whether or not to move forward in the business venture.
"We discussed the idea with Apple; they were very interested and we found the project feasible," said Bottum. "A few months later, here we are. Once again, Clemson is breaking new ground in South Carolina with the first Apple store in the state."
CCIT further supported the store proposal by claiming that its presence and availability on the campus will place Clemson University among the elite in regard to technology, resulting in an increase in value to a prospective student and a step closer to realizing the University's Top 20 goal.
The celebratory grand opening of the Clemson Apple Store will take place Tuesday, Sept. 25. Semester hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and special hours for gameday will be announced as the semester progresses.
The store offers in house ordering of products not in stock and free shipping with an estimated arrival time of two weeks.
For further information contact the store at 864-656-1563 s to applestore@clemson.edu.
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