South Carolina native, Tracy McClam, is the head administrator for the FMU School of Business office, where she aides professors and students in any necessary capacity.

She is a true renaissance woman for the business office, taking care of everything from the specific needs of professors to professional activities to the certificate programs. 

“Wherever I’m needed, I do it,” McClam said. 

Though McClam is relatively new to FMU, her position within the School of Business is not the first administrative role she has taken. 

McClam worked for ten years as an administrator for a physical therapy office at Williamsburg Regional Hospital while living in Lake City. After a while. Her husband’s job moved them from Lake City to Florence, and she started looking for positions here. 

“It was very hard for me to leave that job because those girls were my family, my work family, but I feel like I have another family here at Francis Marion,” McClam said. 

Family is fundamental to McClam. As the mother to two boys—Grayson, age 27, and Reid, age 13—and sister and daughter to many citizens of Florence, she surrounds herself with family. A large reason McClam moved from Lake City was her family, as her elderly parents and her teenage son needed her at home more than her lengthy commute allowed. 

“The people have been extremely nice and extremely welcoming,” McClam said. “I had big shoes to fill, and I feel like they welcomed me and supported me; I really appreciate that.” 

McClam started her role in the summer of 2021 following the transition of Rebecca Mouzon from the School of Business Office to the Provost Office. Though the learning curve was high, McClam said she was happy with the experience and grateful she was chosen for the job.

She was not always a part of the administrative field. After college, she moved to Hilton Head with a friend to make money before moving back to Florence. She met her husband of 30 years in Florence after which she took care of her two boys at home and worked in a different field until she got her job at the hospital. 

Though it was a change from her routine, she claims she enjoys the administrative role. 

“My job—me—represents whatever company I work for, and when somebody comes to me, whether I’m in the medical field or the School of Business, I am one of the first people that they see, and I need to represent myself as someone who wants to help them because they’ll want to come back,” McClam said. “I want everyone to walk into an office and feel welcomed.”

Within the School of Business specifically, McClam works to create a welcoming environment for all students and faculty. The environment is not her only concern, however, as McClam also has plans to help expand the School of Business in the future.

“I would like to see the School of Business grow,” McClam said. “I would like to make the community more aware of what programs FMU has, and I think the first place to start is at our back door.”

Since she already works with the professional activities and certificate programs, McClam has access to a significant portion of the Florence community. Through more events involving the community and better advertising, McClam hopes to improve the awareness of the community. She has already started working on a few ideas to achieve this. 

“I’ve talked to Dr. Rao about creating a computer science camp for the summer,” McClam said. 

Working with professors to build programs to involve the community is one of many McClam hopes to bridge the gap between FMU and the greater Florence community. 

 Stop by the School of Business Office in Founders Hall, Room 259A, to see McClam representing the school and making the office a welcoming space for all who enter.