List of presidents of Clemson University

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]

The institution's first president was Henry Aubrey Strode, appointed in 1890,[2] and its current is Benjamin C. Ayers, named on July 9, 2026.[3] 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 three interim presidents, and six 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. President Term start Term end Ref.
Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (1889–1964)
1 Henry Aubrey Strode [a] 1890 1893 [2]
2 Edwin Boone Craighead [b] 1893 1897 [2]
interim Mark Bernard Hardin [c] 1897 1897 [8]
3 Henry Simms Hartzog [d] 1897 1902 [2]
interim Mark Bernard Hardin [c] 1902 1902 [8]
4 Patrick Hues Mell, Jr. [e] 1902 1910 [2]
5 Walter Merritt Riggs [f] 1910 January 22, 1924 [g] [2]
interim Samuel Broadus Earle [h] 1924 1925 [9]
6 Enoch Walter Sikes [i] 1925 1940 [2]
7 Robert Franklin Poole (BA 1916) [j] 1940 1958 [2]
Clemson University (1964–present)
8 Robert Cook Edwards (BA 1933) [k] 1958 1979 [2]
9 Bill Lee Atchley [l] 1979 June 30, 1985 [m] [2][10]
10 Walter Thompson Cox Jr., (BA 1939) [n] July 1, 1985 February 28, 1986 [2]
11 A. Max Lennon [o] March 1, 1986 July 1994 [2]
interim Philip Hunter Prince, (BA 1949) [p] July 1994 September 30, 1994 [11]
12 September 30, 1994 May 31, 1995 [2]
13 Constantine W. Curris [q] June 1, 1995 November 10, 1999 [r] [2]
14 James Frazier Barker, (BA 1970) [s] November 11, 1999 December 30, 2013 [2][12][13]
15 James P. Clements [t] December 31, 2013 December 31, 2025 [14][15]
interim Robert H. Jones, (BS 1979, MS 1981) [u] January 1, 2026 July 31, 2026 [16][17]
16 Benjamin C. Ayers August 1, 2026 present [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 (2013–2025)
Jones* (2026)
Ayers (2026–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. ↑ Previously head of the mathematics department at the University of Mississippi
  2. ↑ Previously professor of Greek and French at Wofford College
  3. 1 2 Served as interim president between administrations in 1897 and 1902, and during Hartzog's illness in 1899. Chair of the chemistry department at Clemson.
  4. ↑ Previously superintendent of the Johnston Institute
  5. ↑ Previously 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.
  6. ↑ Previously director of the engineering department at Clemson
  7. ↑ Died in office.
  8. ↑ Served 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. ↑ Previously president of Coker College
  10. ↑ Graduate of Clemson University (1916). Previously chairman of graduate programs at North Carolina State University.
  11. ↑ Graduate of Clemson University (1933). Previously vice president for development at Clemson.
  12. ↑ Previously dean of engineering at West Virginia University
  13. ↑ Resigned during an athletic department drug scandal.
  14. ↑ Graduate of Clemson University (1939). Previously vice president for student affairs at Clemson.
  15. ↑ Previously vice president of agricultural administration and executive dean for agriculture, home economics, and natural resources at Ohio State University
  16. ↑ Graduate of Clemson University (1949)
  17. ↑ Previously president of Murray State University and the University of Northern Iowa
  18. ↑ Resigned to head the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
  19. ↑ Graduate of Clemson University (1970). Previously dean of architecture at Mississippi State University and Clemson.
  20. ↑ Previously president of West Virginia University
  21. ↑ Served as interim president after the resignation of Clements. Graduate of Clemson University (BS 1979, MS 1981). Previously executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Clemson.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Chapter IX - Selection, Duty and Evaluation of the President". Board of Trustees Manual. Clemson University. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Past Presidents". Clemson University. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Clemson University Board of Trustees selects Benjamin C. Ayers as president". Clemson News. July 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 187.
  5. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 241.
  6. ↑ Mirah, Stephanie (October 1, 2021). "Clemson president's contract renewed until 2026, annual salary nears $1 million". The Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Contacts - President's Office". Clemson University. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  8. 1 2 McKale & Reel 1988, p. 69.
  9. ↑ McKale & Reel 1988, p. 127.
  10. ↑ Hodges, Sam (March 2, 1985). "Clemson president resigns, athletic director asks to be reassigned". United Press International. Clemson's trustees accepted Atchley's resignation, effective July 1, during an eight-hour, closed-door meeting.
  11. ↑ "Minues". Clemson University Board of Trustees. June 9, 1994.
  12. ↑ "Barker Named President Of Clemson University". Clemson University. October 4, 1999.
  13. ↑ "President Barker to Retire". The Clemson Insider. Last week, I asked the board of trustees to begin a search for the 15th president of Clemson University. I have pledged to remain until the new president is on board.
  14. ↑ "James P. Clements, Ph.D., President, Clemson University". Clemson University. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ Holdman, Jessica (December 9, 2025). "Clemson University President Jim Clements to retire after 12 years". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Clements' last day will be Dec. 31.
  16. ↑ "Meet Provost Jones". Clemson University. Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Clemson University's Board of Trustees met Wednesday to approve the appointment of Robert (Bob) Jones as interim president, effective January 1, 2026". South Carolina Public Radio. December 11, 2025. Archived from the original on December 25, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026.

Works cited

  • McKale, Donald M.; Reel Jr, Jerome V., eds. (1988). Tradition: A History of the Presidency of Clemson University (2nd ed.). Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865542969.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.