James P. Clements named president of Clemson

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Nov 11 11:36:59 GMT-04:00 2013

CLEMSON — 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.

“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. We are confident he is the right person to lead Clemson University to the next level as a great public research university,” said board Chairman David Wilkins.

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. The fourth edition of his project management textbook was published in four languages and used in multiple countries; the fifth edition was released in spring 2012.

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. He had previously been Towson’s vice president for economic and community outreach, held the Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professorship and chaired the department of computer and information sciences.

“We are so excited to be joining the Clemson family. 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,” Clements said.

“I am thankful that Thomas Green Clemson had the vision to create educational and research opportunities for the people of the state of South Carolina, the nation and the world. I look forward to working with the campus community to make sure that vision continues to be fulfilled.”

Under his leadership, WVU has set records in private fundraising, enrollment and research funding. Through university and public-private partnerships, nearly a billion dollars worth of capital improvements are under way on campus, in WVU’s health care system and in the community.

Clements holds statewide, regional and national leadership positions in higher education, health and economic development organizations. On a national level, he is secretary and chairman-elect of the Council of Presidents of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU), which places him on the executive committee.

He also is co-chairman of the APLU Energy Forum, chairman of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Commission on Leadership and a member of the Business Higher Education Forum that includes Fortune 500 CEOs and higher education executives.

Clements was the only university president selected for a 15-member Innovation Advisory Board to the U.S. Department of Commerce. He was also nominated and participated in the 81st Joint Civilian Orientation Conference through the U.S. Department of Defense.

He is married to Beth Clements, and they have four children: Tyler, twin daughters Hannah and Maggie, and Grace.