James P. Clements

James P. "Jim" Clements is the 15th president of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. He assumed office on December 31, 2013, after being president of West Virginia University for five years.^[2] Prior to his presidency, he was the provost and vice president of academic affairs for Towson University.^[3]

Early Life

Dr. James P. Clements was born on March 11, 1964. Clements studied at the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree and Ph.D in Operations Analysis, he also later went to get a Master's degree in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University.^[4]

Personal Life

Clements married wife, Beth Clements, on December 29, 1990.^[5] Dr. Clements and Beth have four children together, Tyler, 22, twin girls Maggie and Hannah, 19, and Grace, 14, as of 2015.^[6] His son Tyler, went to West Virginia University and studied Business Leadership and Political Science.^[7] Hannah and Maggie were born in Maryland on March 19, 1995 and graduated from Morgantown High School in Morgantown, West Virginia.^[8] Maggie Clements is currently a sophomore at West Virginia University and recently got married to Tanner Coombs.^[9] Hannah Clements is a sophomore at Clemson University and is a member of the sorority Alpha Chi Omega.^[10] Their daughter Grace has a neurological speech disorder called apraxia.^[11] Apraxia is when the brain does not communicate well with motor functions, the person know what he or she wants to say but the brain does not communicate properly with the muscles needed for speech.^[12] In 2010 Beth Clements’ parents, Clifton and Priscilla Smith, donated $25,000 to West Virginia University in their granddaughter’s name for research, they established the Grace Clements Speech Pathology and Audiology Research Endowment.^[13]

Towson University and West Virginia University

Previous to assuming presidency at Clemson University, James P. Clements was the Vice President of academic affairs for Towson University and president of West Virginia University. At Towson University, he held many positions like Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professor of Information Technology, Department of Computer and Information Sciences. He also led the Center for Applied Information Technology and was a consultant to many private companies during his career at Towson.^[14]

He had served as president for nearly five years at WVU. At West Virginia University, he set many records in private fundraising, enrollment, and research funding. WVU had grown and developed under James P. Clements through partnerships; he made nearly a billion dollars’ worth of capital improvements on campus, and around the community. When leaving the West Virginia University family, he said that “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.” He was very excited to join the Clemson family, and fulfill the vision of Clemson.^[15]

In 2013, he began his position as President of Clemson University.

Clemson University

James P. Clements was chosen to succeed James Barker and become Clemson University’s 15th president on November 11, 2013.^[16] After assuming office on December 31, 2013, Clements, who was still a relatively new president to Clemson University, addressed his first semester recap at his first-ever general faculty meeting in May 2014.

At the meeting, he stated that his first few months at Clemson University had involved dealing with tasks such as testifying at multiple budget hearings, speaking to business and alumni groups in Greenville, Columbia, Charleston, and Washington D.C., meeting with top CEOs at companies such as BMW, and even meeting the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker. He stated that his top priorities as the 15th president of Clemson University as of 2014 were filling key positions, addressing facilities needs, and completing The Will to Lead campaign. At the meeting, he also introduced George Askew of Public Service and Agriculture and John Ballato of Economic Development as newly promoted vice presidents along with George J. Peterson as the new founding dean of Eugene T. Moore School of Education. Clements continues to indicate that new leadership positions will be filled as soon as possible. Clements is also the main influence for the push to build new academic facilities or improve older ones for the university. His main focus on these projects were the student facilities known as the Core Campus and Barnes Center. He has also raised about $800 million of his $1 billion goal as of 2014 in an attempt to keep tuition lower for students and to help fund projects that involve improving Clemson University. He concluded his first-ever faculty meeting in 2014 with an email from a student, Hannah Scott, and claimed that she could not have received a more positive and enriching experience in her personal and academic development “anywhere else in the world”. ^[17]

Currently in 2015, he is in the middle of his second year as Clemson University’s president. He also maintains a current salary that matches that of what he made at West Virginia University at $775,000.^[18] In addition, he maintains a blog which he updates every few months as he addresses various issues, including holidays, current events at Clemson University, or welcoming and farewell speeches for upcoming or graduating students.^[19]

References