Clemson University has appointed J. Cole Smith ’96 as its new Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, following approval from the Board of Trustees Compensation Committee this afternoon. Smith, who received his bachelor’s degree and began his academic leadership career at Clemson, returns to the University after serving as dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University since 2019. Smith will begin his new role on January 1, 2026.
“I am thrilled to announce that Dr. Cole Smith has been named as our next Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost,” said University President Jim Clements. “Dr. Smith is a highly regarded faculty member, researcher and leader in his field, and we are very excited to welcome him home to Clemson. I also want to thank our campus community for their input throughout the process, the search committee for their dedication and Dr. Jones for his outstanding leadership as Provost over the past 11 years. Dr. Smith is rejoining Clemson at a pivotal time in higher education, and I am confident that he will continue to help lead Clemson Fiercely Forward.”
“I am excited to return to my alma mater, to the place that shaped my values and provided generations of my family with the tools to excel professionally and serve our community,” said Smith. “Clemson University is uniquely positioned to lead the way in how a public land-grant university inspires students with a compelling hands-on education, innovates research that meets the critical needs of our region, state and country, and powers economic development and quality of life in South Carolina and beyond. It is a dream to lead the academic enterprise of this great University in pursuit of those goals, and I am truly humbled to serve as Provost.”
As Clemson’s 10th chief academic officer and seventh provost, Smith will oversee the University’s academic enterprise, working closely with faculty, staff and students to deliver an exceptional learning experience and advance Clemson’s mission as a leading public research institution. Smith will replace Robert H. (Bob) Jones, who announced he was stepping down following 11 years serving as the University’s provost.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Smith as Clemson’s provost and chief academic officer,” said Windsor Sherrill, associate vice president for health research and chair of the search committee. “We had remarkable interest in this position and a pool of highly qualified candidates. I am immensely grateful to each member of the search committee for their time and diligence during this process.”
During his tenure at Syracuse, Smith led ECS through a major renovation to modernize facilities, create multiple new lab spaces and establish the Allyn Innovation Center. He also helped secure a $2 million gift to support the Campos Student Center. Smith oversaw the creation of the Syracuse University Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, an interdisciplinary initiative uniting expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, optimization and manufacturing processes to advance semiconductor science. He also helped launch a new master’s program in operations research and system analytics and a signature co-op program to expand experiential learning opportunities.
Under his guidance, Syracuse’s ECS saw a 30 percent increase in research expenditures during the 2022–2023 academic year compared to 2019 levels. The college’s enrollment, faculty and staff are all on track to grow by 50 percent within four years, reflecting the strength of a long-term plan Smith developed.
Prior to Syracuse, Smith served as associate provost for academic initiatives and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Clemson from 2014 to 2019. During his time at Clemson, he implemented initiatives that strengthened research innovation, expanded student enrollment by 50 percent and elevated the department’s national ranking from the mid-30s to No. 24. He also oversaw the opening of a new facility funded through online program revenue and advised 22 doctoral students whose graduates went on to faculty positions at institutions including the University of Michigan, Arizona State University and the U.S. Naval Academy.
“We welcome Dr. Smith back to Clemson. The Senate is excited to partner with him in supporting faculty and advancing the University’s academic mission,” said Sarah White, Clemson Faculty Senate President. “His proven leadership, collaborative approach and strong record of supporting faculty distinguished him among an exceptional group of candidates.”
An expert in integer programming, combinatorial optimization and computational methods, Smith is a fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) and has served in leadership roles across his profession, including his service on the leadership boards of INFORMS and IISE.
Before joining Clemson, Smith was a professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Florida and the University of Arizona. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from Clemson University.
