Kathy Bush Hobgood has been named senior associate vice president for the Division of Student Affairs. Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Hallenbeck made the announcement this week.
“I have known Kathy for more than 30 years and in that time, we’ve worked together on several occasions,” says Hallenbeck. “She has a proven track record of excellence in all aspects of her professional life. Her teams have done an incredible job of making Clemson a home for our students and ensuring they have the No. 1 college experience in the entire country. Kathy’s impact on Clemson students cannot be overstated, and I can’t wait to see how she will continue to serve this great University with distinction for years to come.”
Hobgood has served as associate vice president for auxiliary enterprises since 2022, where her portfolio has included administrative and fiscal leadership of Clemson Home (University Housing & Dining), Parking & Transportation Services, University Bookstore and the Phil and Mary Bradley Early Childhood Education Center. Last summer, responsibility of her units returned to Student Affairs and Hobgood’s team took on oversight of two additional departments — Campus Reservations and Events, and the Center for Student Leadership and Engagement.
The bulk of Hobgood’s more than three decades in higher education have been spent at Clemson. She first came to the University in 2006 as director of residential life and later held the title of assistant vice president for Student Affairs and executive director of University Housing & Dining.
“It is my honor to be asked to serve in this role at an institution that’s been my home for nearly two decades,” Hobgood says. “Our teams create supportive environments and programs that allow students to meet their academic goals. Whether it’s mentoring, getting connected to a student organization, helping with social connections, day-to-day living, or learning and eating on campus — we are building support structures for all. From bus drivers to front-line dining staff to teams reserving spaces for campus life, we get to play a part in the daily lives of students, faculty and staff, and we don’t take that opportunity to make campus welcoming for granted!”
During her time at Clemson, Hobgood has seen Clemson’s campus life experience undergo significant transformation. She helped oversee housing and dining additions of Core Campus and Douthit Hills to the University’s housing inventory and has been instrumental in the renovations to Clemson’s three high-rise communities set to be completed this summer with enhancements to Lever Hall. Continuously aiming to create the No. 1 student experience, Hobgood and her team spearheaded the recent planning and financing of a new addition to Douthit Hills, which will bring 372 new beds to campus next fall. Also opening in Fall 2027 will be Clemson’s first parking deck, bringing 1,200 new spaces across six levels.
Hobgood was a member of the third cohort of the President’s Leadership Institute at Clemson in 2018-19, where she was one of 25 faculty and staff members selected for the University’s premier professional development program.
Beyond Clemson, Hobgood has made an incredible mark at the highest professional levels of the housing industry. She is the leading voice in student housing on a national and international level. In 2025, she served as president of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I), an organization with nearly 20,000 members from over 900 institutions of higher education around the world. In 2021, she was awarded the ACUHO-I Presidential Service Award in recognition of enduring impact in the housing profession, as well as the Carmen L. Vance Herstory Award for outstanding professional female leadership and service.
Hobgood earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and added a master’s degree in counselor education from Western Illinois University. Early experiences in student growth and learning, as well as strategic program development, led to her first full-time position at Albion College before spending 11 years in housing and residence education at the University of Florida.
