Jim Anderson becomes director of Clemson’s Baruch Institute

GEORGETOWN, S.C. – As interim director of Clemson’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Jim Anderson had been holding things down since July 1, 2024.

But by having the interim tag removed from his title on Dec. 1, Anderson has been free to move forward with his ideas on how Baruch Institute can be an even bigger asset to the constituents it serves.

“It gives you a little bit more sense of permanency and you feel like you can move forward with some initiatives,” Anderson said. “I was doing some things as interim, but mostly at that point I was just trying to keep the wheels on the bus, perform the day-to-day functions. This allows me to put my own take on things and try to move some new initiatives forward.

“I’m excited to be the director of Baruch Institute. It’s a beautiful location. There are great people to work with – faculty, staff and students. We’ve got a lot of great scientists out here. I think there’s a lot of community support for Hobcaw Barony, where we’re located, and for the Institute itself.”

In addition to serving as Baruch’s director, Anderson will maintain his other roles as director of the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center, and the James C. Kennedy Endowed Professor of Waterfowl and Wetland Ecology.

“Dr. Anderson is a highly active scholar with many contributions to wildlife and environmental science, and we are grateful for his commitment to leading the Baruch Institute into a new level of regional and national impact,” said Paula Agudelo, associate dean for research and director of CU Experiment Station.

The Baruch Institute is in Georgetown, South Carolina, on Hobcaw Barony, a 16,000-acre tract of land owned by the Belle W. Baruch Foundation. The coastal environment provides a diversity of ecosystems including estuaries, tidal marshes, freshwater swamps, coastal forest, streams and rivers.

Researchers address critical environmental issues such as climate and land-use change, coastal science, water quality and quantity, biodiversity loss, and forest and watershed ecology management.

Scientists at Baruch provide information to management agencies, other partners and the public to promote the restoration, conservation and management of forests, watersheds, wetlands, wildlife and coastal systems. Their findings are used to inform environmental policies at the state and national levels.

“We want to do what we can to expand our research, both onsite at Baruch as well as along the coast, and throughout the state,” Anderson said. “The same thing with our outreach capabilities. We have several folks who primarily work with Extension, and then many of us who don’t have Extension appointments will still do quite a bit of outreach. We’re trying to push forward with that.”

In addition to doing the research, Anderson said it’s important to get their findings to the public so they can use it. Therefore, Anderson plans to hire an outreach coordinator to help plan more community events.

Anderson would also like to grow and cultivate external relations with neighboring communities outside of Georgetown County.

“We have scientists who deal with a lot of pressing issues,” he said. “You think about sea level rise, hurricanes and coastal resilience, declining wetlands which impact our water quality and water storage and wildlife populations. We have scientists who work in all these arenas and I think most of our research is applied in nature.

“We conduct research, but then there’s an outcome that’s useful in terms of policy and I think we could help them with those sorts of things as this area continues to grow in popularity, both with permanent residents as well as summer visitors.”

While remaining director of the Kennedy Center, Anderson said he is in the process of hiring an assistant professor of waterfowl ecology and management who would also be assistant director of the center.

“It took me two years to get the Kennedy Center to where I wanted it to be,” Anderson said. “It’s functioning well, but I think in order to maintain that productivity, we’re going to need some additional help.”

Anderson received his Ph.D. in wildlife science from Texas Tech University. Prior to coming to Clemson, he was a full professor of wildlife ecology at West Virginia University and the Davis-Michael Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources. He had served as the program coordinator for the wildlife and fisheries resources program at WVU and as the founding director of the interdisciplinary Environmental Research Center at WVU.

He has a strong research interest in wetlands and wetland wildlife, an extensive research record and has obtained many grants and contracts by keeping in contact with various resource management agencies, private foundations and non-governmental groups. Anderson has served as the principal investigator or co-PI on over $30 million in grants, contracts, and donations and has authored or co-authored over 260 publications, including serving as the lead editor of a 3-volume book set (Wetland Techniques) that was released in 2013.

Anderson has been with Clemson for more than three years now. Along with his wife Heather and yellow labrador retriever Gideon, Anderson said his family has enjoyed living on the coast.

“I like to play a lot with the dog,” he said. “My wife and I like to take walks on the beach. I like gardening and hunting. I’ve had the opportunity to do a couple of hunts down here; folks have taken me out deer hunting and duck hunting. I’ve been appreciative of those opportunities as well.

“Our neighbors are lifelong residents of Georgetown. You get all this history. They’re just so welcoming and friendly. The people are great. A lot of the plantation managers that I work with are great, always informative and willing to share their ideas and what they’re doing.”