COLUMBIA, S.C. ― Jim Clements, president of West Virginia University since 2009, will take the helm at Clemson University in January, the school announced Monday.
Clements will become Clemson’s 15th president, Board of Trustees Chairman David Wilkins said in announcing the selection Monday in Clemson. He succeeds Jim Barker, who announced plans in April to retire after 14 years and become an architecture professor at the school.
Barker has agreed to remain as president until Clements takes over, Wilkins said.
“The bottom line is this: The board is convinced we got the very best person to be our next president. He is the right fit for Clemson University,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins noted that Clements is coming from a land-grant university, so he understands Clemson’s mission. Clements’ national roles include chairman-elect of the Council of Presidents of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities.
Wilkins praised Clements’ job at West Virginia University, saying the college set records in private fundraising, enrollment and research funding during his tenure. The university is in the midst of nearly $1 billion in construction projects on campus, its university health system and student housing.
