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List of presidents of Clemson University

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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 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

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List of presidents
No. President Term Notes Ref.
1 Henry Aubrey Strode 1890–1893 Previously head of the mathematics department at the University of Mississippi [2]
2 Edwin Boone Craighead 1893–1897 Previously professor of Greek and French at Wofford College [2]
— Mark Bernard Hardin 1897, 1899, 1902 Served 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 1897–1902 Previously superintendent of the Johnston Institute [2]
4 Patrick Hues Mell 1902–1910 Previously chair of the natural history department at Auburn University [2]
5 Walter Merritt Riggs 1910–1924 Previously director of the engineering department at Clemson [2]
— Samuel Broadus Earle 1919, 1924–1925 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]
6 Enoch Walter Sikes 1925–1940 Previously president of Coker College [2]
7 Robert Franklin Poole 1940–1958 Graduate of Clemson University (1916). Previously chairman of graduate programs at North Carolina State University. [2]
8 Robert Cook Edwards 1958–1979 Graduate of Clemson University (1933). Previously vice president for development at Clemson. [2]
9 Bill Lee Atchley 1979–1985 Previously dean of engineering at West Virginia University [2]
10 Walter Thompson Cox Jr. 1985–1986 Graduate of Clemson University (1939). Previously vice president for student affairs at Clemson. [2]
11 A. Max Lennon 1986–1994 Previously vice president of agricultural administration and executive dean for agriculture, home economics, and natural resources at Ohio State University [2]
12 Philip Hunter Prince 1994–1995 Graduate of Clemson University (1949) [2]
13 Constantine W. Curris 1995–1999 Previously president of Murray State University and the University of Northern Iowa [2]
14 James Frazier Barker 1999–2013 Graduate of Clemson University (1970). Previously dean of architecture at Mississippi State University and Clemson. [2]
15 James P. Clements 2013–present Previously president of West Virginia University [3]

Timeline of presidencies

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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

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  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

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Chapter IX - Selection, Duty and Evaluation of the President". Board of Trustees Manual. Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Past Presidents". Clemson University. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "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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  • 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.
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