Clemson University’s Board of Trustees held its Spring Quarterly Meetings on main campus Thursday, with an overarching focus on delivering the No. 1 student experience, the first pillar of the University’s strategic plan: Clemson Elevate.
Trustees also approved multiple action items, received updates from the administration on the University’s operations and provided an update on the search for Clemson’s next University president.
PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH UPDATE
Clemson’s Presidential Search Committee continues its process of identifying the University’s 16th president. The search committee, led by Committee Chair Cheri Phyfer ’93, M ’99, recently received an update on interest from executive search firm Funk Associates and began conducting an initial review and evaluation of a robust and highly qualified pool of applicants.
The committee continues its evaluation process and updates will continue to be shared with the Clemson community as the search progresses.
STUDENT AFFAIRS
Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Hallenbeck introduced the new leaders of undergraduate student government, Rosie Hanna and Brady Young.
Hallenbeck also recognized staffer Shirley Harrison, a member of Aramark’s catering team who has been serving Clemson students since 1974. Harrison worked at Clemson House for years prior to moving into catering.
The Student Affairs committee then heard from a panel of six students including Sara Alkelani, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, and Anna Holstein, who directed The Pursuit for Blue Key Honor Society, a trivia-based campus race that raised over $100,000 for the Students Helping Students Fund.
The students discussed their experiences and highlighted Clemson’s commitment to their academic and extracurricular pursuits.
EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE
Provost Cole Smith brought forth, and the Board approved, a proposal for the creation of The Lyceum, a new, dedicated academic department for the program currently housed in the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism. The department provides structure and visibility to the growing program and supports program enrollment and degree growth. Additionally, it will further enhance faculty hiring, curriculum development, and degree pathways for majors and minors.
Provost Smith also introduced and the Board approved a new institute, the Clemson University National Security Institute (CU-NSI), an initiative to drive innovation and prepare the next generation of military talent. Through research, workforce development and strategic partnerships, the CU-NSI will strengthen U.S. defense readiness and fuel technologies.
Dean Ece Erdogmus provided an update on the College of Architecture, Art and Construction, highlighting experiential learning across the entire college through the Design, Create and Build continuum leading its strategic plan.
Additionally, the committee approved the creation of four new programs: a master’s degree in computational genetics and genomics, and bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in artificial intelligence. The master’s degree in computational genetics and genomics features a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary curriculum integrating genomics, data, statistics, machine learning, AI, and Palmetto2 high-performance computing. Developed with input from over 30 industry partners, the program includes an internship capstone and prepares graduates for high-demand, high-salary roles in healthcare, biotech and research.
The interdisciplinary bachelor’s AI degree will combine core computer science and AI with business, ethics, cognition, statistics and philosophy for human-centered AI career readiness. The master’s and doctoral programs will further Clemson’s reputation as a pioneer in AI education by providing a full-degree pipeline.
Finally, the committee approved four program modifications and five program concentration terminations.
RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Senior Vice President for Research and Creative Endeavors Tanju Karanfil updated the Board on research achievements over the past quarter. He also introduced three students who presented on the impact Clemson’s strong research culture and infrastructure has on creating a No. 1 student experience by providing unique experiential learning opportunities and positioning them for nationally competitive internships and fellowships. Yashvi Patel, a senior double major in biochemistry and psychology, has conducted research on DNA repair throughout her undergraduate career and helped to develop an AI platform for medical practitioners during an internship with the Mayo Clinic. Ph.D. student Michael Walters earned the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to support his research on applying AI to improve the resiliency of energy systems. And Stuti Garg, a Ph.D. student in the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development, is one of just five students in the country to earn the prestigious Chishiki Artificial Intelligence in Civil Engineering Graduate Fellowship. She is working on an AI system to support worker health and safety.
FINANCE AND FACILITIES
In a financial update to the Board, Rick Petillo, senior vice president and chief financial officer, shared that while FY27 revenue growth is improving and exceeding sector outlook, additional work is needed to align expense and revenue growth. Petillo emphasized that proactive work now to identify strategic investment and alignment opportunities will position Clemson for the future by driving smart revenue growth. Clemson University has made significant progress in transforming budgeting and controlling expenses, in response to financial headwinds and uncertainties across higher education.
The Board also approved several upcoming construction projects, including renovations to the ground floor of Long Hall to create more functional space to support campus needs; upgrades to power infrastructure at the Poole Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) facility; renovations to the Agriculture Service Laboratory; and construction of a Poultry Science Research Facility at the Piedmont Research and Education Center to provide research, teaching and outreach support to South Carolina’s poultry industry.
STRATEGIC COMPENSATION PLAN
The Board received an update on the University’s strategic compensation plan, which will be implemented in phases starting this year. Developed in partnership with stakeholders from across the University, the plan utilizes a strategic and sustainable framework that recognizes and rewards faculty and staff who work every day to deliver Clemson’s mission.
The strategic compensation plan consists of three parts: a broad-based annual increase informed by the South Carolina General Assembly, a pool of funds to address strategic or market-based adjustments, and a performance-based pool based on defined merit and performance criteria.
Additional details regarding the timeline and process for implementing these increases will be released throughout the next several months.
EXECUTIVE AND AUDIT
The Executive and Audit committee received an athletics update from Vice President and Director of Athletics Graham Neff, who highlighted many of the athletics achievements in winter sports including men’s and women’s basketball NCAA tournament berths. He also introduced senior gymnast Brie Clark, who led Clemson to the 2026 ACC Championship in its third season of competition. Clark advanced to the NCAA finals in floor exercise and became the first Tiger to earn post-season All-America honors. It was the first performance at Nationals for any Clemson gymnast, and Clark solidified one of the best floor seasons in history with a 9.9000 in all 15 meets this season — the only gymnast in the nation to do so.
The executive and audit committee, and subsequently the full Board, approved updated disclosure and approval requirements for Clemson president’s external board service as recommended in a recent State Inspector General’s report. Clemson’s Board reiterated its appreciation for the thorough and professional work conducted by the Office of Inspector General in reviewing a recent matter, and reiterated the report found no violations of law or University policy.
Clemson remains committed to transparency, continuous improvement and upholding the highest standards of integrity and the Board further approved a Universitywide attestation of outside employment and compensated professional activities, and University conflicts of interest policies, practices, and procedures, both institutional and individual.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Interim President Bob Jones provided a quarterly update to the full Board, highlighting the University’s successes in each of the three pillars of Clemson Elevate. Jones celebrated recent philanthropic gifts directed at enhancing the student experience including the Clemson Ring Endowment created by the Molyneaux Family and Deb Conklin’s ONE Clemson Cornerstone Gift.
President Jones also highlighted many of the individual student, faculty and staff awards and recognitions garnered over the past few months.
