Phillips will remain Clemson's athletic director

Phillips is believed to be the only Division I athletic director with both a doctorate and law degree.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Dec 08 17:51:35 GMT-04:00 2010

CLEMSON – Clemson University President James Barker and Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips ended weeks of speculation on Wednesday when it was announced that Phillips would remain in his current position as the head of Clemson athletics.

Barker conducted a private evaluation of Phillips, who has been the Athletic Director for nine years, talking to different personnel connected with the university and the department of athletics. That led to speculation that Phillips would be ousted, as reported by several websites last week.

However, Barker announced on Wednesday that Phillips would continue his role, while David Wilkins – Chairman of the Board of Trustees – affirmed the Board’s faith in Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney.

Phillips, who has a contract through June of 2013, told TigerNet he looks forward to continuing to lead.

“I greatly appreciate President Barker’s position in this matter,” Phillips said. “We all look forward to working together and continuing to develop all aspects of our program that will lead us to the level that we all want and desire.”

Barker wrote the following in his blog on Wednesday:

“Most of us would prefer that our job performance evaluations be conducted privately. That is not always possible when individuals hold high-profile positions at public universities. It has been widely publicized that I recently completed an evaluation of Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips. I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Phillips will continue to serve as our director of athletics.

My evaluation was based on both quantitative and qualitative measures, from personal integrity and trust – which I consider the most important factor – to results on the fields and courts of play. The bottom line is that Dr. Phillips is doing an outstanding job as director of athletics. When Terry Don Phillips was hired, it was with expectations that he would address five key challenges: competitiveness, facilities, financial stability, rules compliance and academic success. While “competitiveness” is a matter of personal interpretation, there can be no question that Clemson has made strides in these critical areas.

Over the past 10 years, Clemson has invested nearly $120 million in athletics facilities. Grade-point-averages and graduation rates of student-athletes have improved significantly, the department is financially healthy, and there has been strict compliance with the letter and spirit of NCAA regulations.

Dr. Phillips and I are in full agreement that there are areas that need improvement, starting with competitiveness. Our top 20 vision and 10-year goals included athletics for a reason. Clemson people expect quality in both athletics and academics. While we are proud of the 47 teams that have finished in the top 25 over the past decade, we want to build on that foundation and compete at an even higher level.

Many of our Trustees, including Chairman Wilkins, and I are former student-athletes. We know from personal experience that part of what makes the Clemson experience special is our competitive nature. We aspire for our athletic programs to be ranked consistently among the nation’s top 25 teams, to be competitive for conference championships and successful in post-season play. I have asked Dr. Phillips to again review every program and ensure that it has the resources and support needed to be competitive at that level. This administration is fully committed to creating an environment where athletics can be successful.

It is particularly important that our football program be strong because it generates revenue that supports other sports, provides a valuable marketing tool for student recruitment and alumni support, and generates significant national publicity. Many people were disappointed with the football season this year, no one more so than the student-athletes and coaches themselves. I fully support our head coach and believe we have the elements in place to have a top-25 ranked football program, particularly when you look at the returning talent on the team and the quality of this year’s recruiting class.

When I was inaugurated as Clemson’s president in 2000, I talked about the concept of “One Clemson” and said that a united Clemson is unstoppable. It’s easy to be united when things are going well, but it’s even more important to be united when we face challenges.”

Wilkins released the following statement:

“We believe that President Barker’s evaluation of the athletic director was very thorough and fair, and the Board unanimously supports the President’s assessment and recommendations. The Clemson Board of Trustees has full confidence in President Barker and his vision for our university. He has our full support, the athletic director has our full support, and Dabo Swinney has our full support.

Success in athletics is important to the Board of Trustees. We are not fully satisfied with where we are in the area of competitiveness. We want to win as much as any Clemson fan does. The Board of Trustees is fully engaged in athletics. President Barker is fully engaged in athletics. And we are 100 percent committed to building championship teams at Clemson.”