After months of searching, Clemson has found its next president.
James P. “Jim” Clements was selected Monday to be Clemson University’s 15th president. Clements currently serves as president of West Virginia University.
Clements was selected by the board of trustees to succeed James F. Barker, who announced plans to retire in April after serving 14 years as president. Barker will remain on the faculty of the School of Architecture.
Clements earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in operations analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), as well as a Master of Science in computer science from Johns Hopkins University.
Prior to assuming the WVU presidency, Clements served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Towson University, the second-largest public university in Maryland.
“We are so excited to be joining the Clemson family,” Clements said. “Clemson is one of the greatest public, land-grant research universities in the country. It is highly respected for being a student-centered campus that provides a top-notch, high-quality education while producing world-class research and vital services to the community.”
“Dr. Clements is a distinguished scholar, a nationally recognized voice in higher education and a proven leader who understands the unique mission of land-grant universities,” said David Wilkins, chairman of Clemson’s board of trustees. “We are confident he is the right person to lead Clemson University to the next level as a great public research university.”
Under Clements’ leadership, WVU has set records in private fundraising, enrollment and research funding, according to a statement from Clemson. Through university and public-private partnerships, nearly a billion dollars worth of capital improvements are underway on campus, in WVU’s health care system and in the community.
He is married to Beth Clements, and they have four children: Tyler, twin daughters Hannah and Maggie, and Grace.
