Board of Trustees first 2025 quarterly meeting focuses on University’s impact 

With an overarching focus on the third pillar of Clemson Elevate — the impact of Clemson University to transform lives across the state of South Carolina and beyond — the 2025 Winter Quarterly Meeting of the Clemson Board of Trustees was held February 4-7.   

During committee meetings over two days and a full board meeting on Friday, February 7, the Board received updates from Clemson President James P. Clements and senior University leadership about ongoing research, education, student support, fundraising and statewide outreach.  

Students 

Doug Hallenbeck, vice president of student affairs, provided the Board with an update on the Division of Student Affairs’ efforts to enhance the student experience, preparing students for lives of leadership, service and significance. Hallenbeck highlighted both the division’s work in support of the academic mission alongside a focus on mental and physical well-being and recreation. 

President Clements customarily highlights a student at each of his quarterly updates to the Board, and spotlighted the achievements of Adam Gatch, a biochemistry honors student from Charleston. Gatch was recently named a Churchill Scholar, one of only 16 students nationwide to receive the award, which covers one year of master’s study at the University of Cambridge. Gatch’s achievement makes Clemson the only university whose students have been awarded a Churchill Scholarship in each of the last three years. 

Gatch plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy in chemistry and work with Professor Tuomas Knowles at the Centre for Misfolding Diseases, a leading research center dedicated to understanding the abnormal behavior of proteins in the brain in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

Research

Tanju Karanfil, senior vice president for research, scholarship and creative endeavors, highlighted the substantial growth of Clemson’s research enterprise: 

• Total research and development expenditures topped $300 million for the first time at $334 million in 2024, more than double that of 2013. During the fiscal year, Clemson graduated 324 Ph.D. students, an increase of 73 percent since 2013.  

• As 2025 began, Clemson had 2,048 active research projects with a total budget amount of more than $823 million – a nearly 70 percent increase in the number of active projects over the past decade, and the combined value of those projects has more than tripled. 

Dr. Karanfil also recognized faculty members Ronnie Chowdhury and Cheng Sun for earning rare presidential awards from the U.S. government. Dr. Karanfil also provided numerous examples of Clemson transforming lives through research.  

Senior Vice President for External Affairs Angie Leidinger provided an overview of the University’s state budget priorities for FY25-26, which includes funding for tuition mitigation, a NextGen Computing Complex, the Clemson Center for Human Genetics, as well as support for several Public Service Activities priorities.  

Leidinger provided updates on the President’s Industry Council, corporate engagement activity and innovation campus strategy. Current and former students joined Arthrex Vice President of Communications and President’s Industry Council member Dennis O’Keefe and Executive Director of the J. Daniel and Nancy Garrison Sales Innovation Program and J. Daniel and Nancy Garrison Distinguished Professor Ryan Mullins to highlight the impact of this flagship program within the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, both on the student experience and industry partnerships. Arthrex, a global medical device company, offers scholarships through the Arthrex Sales Innovation Scholars program to Clemson students and collaborates regularly with University research faculty and administration to advance mutually beneficial goals and meet the state’s economic goals in meaningful ways. 

Academics

Provost Bob Jones provided updates on undergraduate admissions and longer-term enrollment trends, distance education strategies to generate new revenues and broaden the University’s reach, and Clemson Elevate metrics including a new Extension activities index.  

Dean Leslie Hossfeld provided an update on the impressive work of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and its direct work transforming lives through improving health outcomes, meeting workforce demands and supporting rural communities across South Carolina. 

Action items from the Educational Policy Committee included the creation of several programs and centers:    

• New M.S. in Statistics and Data Science   

• New Ph.D. in Statistics and Data Science   

• New Center for Community Engagement Research   

• New Center for Roofing Innovation and Leadership (CRIL)   

• New Center for Safety, Health & Ergonomics Research for Performance Augmentation (SHERPA)   

• New Trilith Institute Instructional Site   

• Name change of the Center for Criminal Justice and Social Research to the Center for Public Safety Research   

Finance and Facilities

The Board received an update to the University’s long range framework plan revised to align with the strategic plan and pillars of Clemson Elevate. The administration also provided a mid-year financial update while revisiting first quarter financials and the steps the University has taken since October 2024.  

The Board of Trustees approved the following facility projects:   

• New lease for space in Greenville on the CU-ICAR Campus for College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences to accommodate faculty/student offices, teaching labs, and research space in support of the new Bachelor of Science degree in Automotive Engineering as well as research and teaching spaces for the School of Computing and Industrial Engineering. 

• An update to the Clemson University Fire Department fire station following construction and widening of Perimeter Road.  

Future Meetings

The next quarterly meeting of Clemson’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to be held in Clemson April 23-25, 2025.