Kenneth Robinson, associate professor in the Clemson University Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice and agribusiness extension specialist, will serve as outgoing president and chair of the executive committee of the Rural Sociological Society (RSS) through 2026, concluding his three-year term as the Society’s eighty-eighth president-elect, president and outgoing president. He is the first Clemson University professor to hold the position.
“As a rural sociologist, it has been an honor to serve as president of the Rural Sociological Society – and it is especially meaningful to be the first professor from Clemson University to hold the position,” said Robinson. “The RSS mission closely aligns with the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences’ commitment to building people and communities, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to support my colleagues and the broader academic community in our united effort to advance scholarship, foster engagement and build connections to benefit rural communities nationwide.”
Founded in 1937, the RSS is a professional social science association that seeks to enhance the quality of rural life for individuals, communities and the environment through the generation, application and dissemination of sociological knowledge.
It is a community of scholars and practitioners united by a common mission to make a positive difference in the livelihoods, community structures and economies, environmental conditions, agriculture and food systems of rural communities. The Society’s core activities include leadership in policy and scholarship, as well as the publication of its peer-reviewed journal, Rural Sociology, and production of its annual conference.
Since joining the RSS in 1996, Robinson has served in a number of volunteer roles including president-elect in 2024 and president in 2025. Last month, Robinson presided over the Society’s national conference which drew high attendance, including several of his former Clemson graduate students and summer intern.
“Dr. Robinson’s career contributions to the field of rural sociology are distinguished by both scholarly excellence and a deep commitment to advancing the discipline,” said Leslie Hossfeld, dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. “His service as president of the Rural Sociological Society represents his outstanding achievements as a community-engaged scholar, leader and educator and underscores the positive difference he has made in the lives of individuals and communities across South Carolina and beyond.”
As he closes out his chapter as outgoing president, Robinson said he will pay it forward by sharing his career-long experiences and insights with his students and colleagues and continue encouraging community-engaged learning in support of rural communities.
The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.
