List of presidents of Clemson University

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The President's House CU President's Home Aug2010.jpg
The President's House

Clemson University, founded in 1889, is a public research university located in Clemson, South Carolina. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees. The president acts as the school's chief executive officer, reporting to the board, and is tasked with providing leadership to the faculty and students, and represents the institution in public. [1]

Contents

The institution's first president was Henry Aubrey Strode, appointed in 1890, [2] and its 15th and current is James P. Clements, who assumed office in 2013. [a] [3] All of Clemson's presidents have been white men. Robert Cook Edwards had the longest tenure at 21 years, [4] and Walter T. Cox Jr. had the shortest at eight months. [5] There have been two interim presidents, and five presidents who have been alumni of the university. [2] As of 2022, the salary of the president was $987,530. [6]

The first official residence for the president was completed in 1893, with president Craighead as its first resident. Walter Riggs, already a professor at the university, chose to remain in his house upon becoming president. Following his death, presidents Sikes and Poole also lived in the Riggs house. The current president's house was completed in 1959 for R. C. Edwards. The office of the president is housed in Sikes Hall. [7]

Presidents

List of presidents
No.PresidentTermNotesRef.
1 Henry Aubrey Strode 1894.jpg Henry Aubrey Strode 1890–1893Previously head of the mathematics department at the University of Mississippi [2]
2 Edwin Boone Craighead.png Edwin Boone Craighead 1893–1897Previously professor of Greek and French at Wofford College [2]
— Mark Bernard Hardin (Oconeean 1904).png Mark Bernard Hardin 1897, 1899, 1902Served as interim president between administrations in 1897 and 1902, and during Hartzog's illness in 1899. Chair of the chemistry department at Clemson. [8]
3 Henry Simms Hartzog (Clemsonian 1901).png Henry Simms Hartzog 1897–1902Previously superintendent of the Johnston Institute [2]
4 Patrick Hues Mell (Oconeean 1903).png Patrick Hues Mell, Jr. 1902–1910Previously chair of the natural history department at Auburn University. Father was Chancellor of the University of Georgia and one of the first presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention. [2]
5 Walter Riggs.JPG Walter Merritt Riggs 1910–1924Previously director of the engineering department at Clemson [2]
— Samuel Broadus Earle (Taps 1924).png Samuel Broadus Earle 1919, 1924–1925Served as interim president in 1919 while Riggs served as a director on the army overseas educational commission in France, and in 1924–1925 following Riggs' death. Director of the engineering department at Clemson. [9]
6 Enoch Walter Sikes (Taps 1940).png Enoch Walter Sikes 1925–1940Previously president of Coker College [2]
7 Robert Franklin Poole-3 (Taps 1959).png Robert Franklin Poole 1940–1958Graduate of Clemson University (1916). Previously chairman of graduate programs at North Carolina State University. [2]
8 Robert Cook Edwards (Taps 1975).png Robert Cook Edwards 1958–1979Graduate of Clemson University (1933). Previously vice president for development at Clemson. [2]
9 Bill Lee Atchley (Taps 1983).jpg Bill Lee Atchley 1979–1985Previously dean of engineering at West Virginia University [2]
10 Walter Cox (Taps 1977).png Walter Thompson Cox Jr. 1985–1986Graduate of Clemson University (1939). Previously vice president for student affairs at Clemson. [2]
11 Max Lennon 1989.png A. Max Lennon 1986–1994Previously vice president of agricultural administration and executive dean for agriculture, home economics, and natural resources at Ohio State University [2]
12 Phil Prince-1 (Taps 1949).JPG Philip Hunter Prince 1994–1995Graduate of Clemson University (1949) [2]
13 Pic for Constantine W. Curris article.jpg Constantine W. Curris 1995–1999Previously president of Murray State University and the University of Northern Iowa [2]
14 James Barker 2013.jpg James Frazier Barker 1999–2013Graduate of Clemson University (1970). Previously dean of architecture at Mississippi State University and Clemson. [2]
15 James P. Clements in 2018.jpg James P. Clements 2013–presentPreviously president of West Virginia University [3]

Timeline of presidencies

Strode (1890–1893)
Craighead (1893–1897)
Hardin* (1897, 1899, 1902)
Hartzog (1897–1902)
Mell (1902–1910)
Riggs (1910–1924)
Earle* (1919, 1924–1925)
Sikes (1925–1940)
Poole (1940–1958)
Edwards (1958–1979)
Atchley (1979–1985)
Cox (1985–1986)
Lennon (1986–1994)
Prince (1994–1995)
Curris (1995–1999)
Barker (1999–2013)
Clements (2013-present)
│
1889
│
1899
│
1909
│
1919
│
1929
│
1939
│
1949
│
1959
│
1969
│
1979
│
1989
│
1999
│
2009
│
2019
Presidents of Clemson University (1889–present)
*Interim/acting president

Notes

  1. ↑ Although 17 people have held the office, Clemson University does not consider acting presidents in its counting; as a result, in official releases by the university, Clements is considered the 15th president.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Chapter IX - Selection, Duty and Evaluation of the President". Board of Trustees Manual. Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Past Presidents". Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 "James P. Clements, Ph.D., President, Clemson University". Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 187.
  5. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 241.
  6. ↑ Mirah, Stephanie (1 October 2021). "Clemson president's contract renewed until 2026, annual salary nears $1 million". The Post and Courier . Charleston, SC . Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Contacts - President's Office". Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  8. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 69.
  9. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 127.

Works cited

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