Trustees: After resignation, Clemson president will join university faculty By Anna B. Mitchell 4 hrs ago CLEMSON — Clemson President Jim Clements, who made a bombshell announcement Dec. 9 that he would be quitting in three weeks, will be sticking around to teach.
A day after Clements announced he was leaving the university’s top post, trustees gathered in an online meeting to sort out what the university will do next.
Clements’ first day on the job was Dec. 31, 2013. His last day will be Dec. 31, 2025.
After about an hour in a closed-door meeting with Clements, university attorney Chip Hood and university lobbyist Angie Leidinger, Clemson’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to establish a presidential search committee. They did not name who would serve on the committee.
Trustees also voted unanimously to give Board of Trustees Chair Kim Wilkerson and whoever chairs the search committee authority to hire a search firm.
Wilkerson, the only trustee to speak during the meeting, also announced the board had agreed to let Clements remain on campus as a faculty member.
He will start teaching, Wilkerson said, after a short sabbatical. Clements holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and advanced degrees in operations analysis.
Wilkerson praised Clements, saying that under his leadership, “the value of the Clemson brand has seen unprecedented growth.”
Applications to the school in fall 2014 numbered just under 20,800, Wilkerson said. They have since tripled to 64,805. Clements also raised $2.1 billion for the university and oversaw growth of its endowment to more than $1 billion.
Wilkerson also commended Clements and his wife Beth’s commitment to the Clemson LIFE program, from which their daughter Grace graduated this past May. Clemson LIFE teaches work and independent living skills to young people with intellectual disabilities.
Trustees — who met online — were not available for media questions before or after the meeting.
“While we would have loved for you to be with us for a few more years, we fully respect your decision to focus on family,” Wilkerson said during the meeting.
Tough year for Clemson Clements’ surprise resignation on Tuesday prompted a flurry of online chatter overnight on what might be behind his decision and why he gave so little notice.
The past year has not been easy for the university, as it has overextended its debt — which prompted a spring spending freeze that has continued to the present — even as federal research dollars were throttled back by $58 million under the new Trump administration.
The university also remains under a federal Title VI discrimination investigation for its support of a graduate program that aimed to recruit more minorities into higher ed business faculties.
More recently, the university came under fire from critics on the political right and left over its handling of two assistant professors and a staff member who publicly criticized conservative activist Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated. They were fired, which outraged advocates for academic freedom and free speech, but conservative commentators and elected officials were outraged the employees were not fired soon enough.
Other theories around Clements’ departure have focused on an Oconee County real-estate venture that fizzled out earlier this fall. Dubbed “Clemson West,” the project drew allegations of conflict of interest from local officials when it emerged that the development firm had business ties to another company, United Home Group. UHG, which is publicly traded, included Clements and Clemson trustee Nikki Haley among its board members.
Both denied any direct contact with the Clemson West project, though Clemson staff were in active talks with the developers. Clements and Haley have since resigned from UHG’s board.
In his resignation announcement to the Clemson community, Clements said he wanted to focus on his health and his family, which includes four children and six grandchildren.
“I know you know how much I love this place,” Clements told trustees at the Dec. 10 meeting. “It's our home, and Beth and I will remain here because our hearts are here.”
Retiring provost steps in Also at the Dec. 10 meeting, trustees hired the university’s provost — second in command and head of academics on campus — to serve as interim president until at least July.
Retiring Clemson University provost to step in as interim president Clemson University Provost Bob Jones, set to retire after 11 years at his post on Dec. 31, 2025, will take up the post as interim president the following day. Trustees accepted the resignation of President Jim Clements at an emergency meeting on Dec. 10 and tapped Jones to take over.
Clemson University/Provided The provost, Bob Jones, was set to retire in January and go on a year’s paid sabbatical. That sabbatical, which involves the Clemson Forest, has now been cut to six months.
Jones will be paid at his current annual salary rate, which is $549,312, and will receive an additional 15 percent for his presidential duties. He will also be provided university housing or a $6,000 monthly housing stipend and a one-time $10,000 payment to cover incidentals.
It is not yet clear how much it will cost Clemson to hire a presidential search firm, but it is likely to be in the six-figure range. A study by the American Association of University Professors found that the cost for such searches averages between $100,000 and $200,000, not counting expenses.
Wilkerson said various stakeholder groups will be able to weigh in on the search, including the faculty, student and staff senates, alumni, the university’s Board of Visitors and IPTAY, which raises money for sports.
“Please know that your spirit will forever echo through these hills, and you will always always be a Clemson Tiger,” Wilkerson said at the close of the meeting.
“Love you all,” Clements replied.
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