Annual Board Report
From the Chair of the Board of Trustees
August 2024
To our entire Clemson Community and to all those in the state of South Carolina and beyond, I am excited to share our very first Board of Trustees Year-End Annual Report with you. Over the past year, some incredible things have happened at Clemson as we continue to break records and elevate our University even higher. First and foremost, on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I want to thank each of you for your continued support of Clemson University and for taking the time to read this report. Because of people like you, we are achieving unprecedented levels of success across the institution and in higher education.
Clemson University’s Board of Trustees has continued to fulfill the vision of our founder, Thomas Green Clemson, who established this great University as “a high seminary of learning,” to educate and advance the lives of all Tigers. We are now a full year into our bold strategic plan, Clemson Elevate, that will guide us into the future over the next decade. We are excited at the great work being done to create the No. 1 Student Experience, Double Research, and Transform Lives. As you read about many of our accomplishments over the past year, you will see that the value of the Tiger Paw has never been higher, and the best is yet to come.
Together, we will elevate our great University to new heights and continue to transform lives across the state, the nation, and beyond – because at Clemson, there is something special in these hills.
![Signature of Kim Wilkerson](../images/annual-report/signature.png)
Kim Wilkerson
Chair of the Board of Trustees
![Kim Wilkerson in a khaki blazer and orange and brown infinity scarf.](../images/annual-report/kim-wilkerson.jpg)
University Achievements
![Female student wearing a grey sweatshirt with a orange sweatshirt holding a small sheep.](../images/annual-report/sheep_farm.jpg)
![Several students wearing cap and gowns at the graduation ceremony.](../images/annual-report/graduation.jpg)
Our University has achieved remarkable success over the the past year. And with the support of our General Assembly, we have continued to elevate and position Clemson for even greater success in the years to come. Some accomplishments to highlight include:
- Approving a budget for FY 25, and thanks to a tremendous effort on behalf of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Trustees were able to approve an in-state tuition freeze for the fifth consecutive year. The budget also focuses on meeting the goals of our strategic plan, Clemson Elevate, through supporting the No. 1 Student Experience, research ascension, pursuing AAU status, and further increasing our ability to positively impact and transform lives across the state of South Carolina and beyond.
- Moving forward with the development of Clemson’s first professional school, the Clemson University College of Veterinary Medicine. A special thank you to our State Legislature, who allocated $175 million for FY 25, and over $110M between FY 23 and FY 24 to develop our state’s first College of Veterinary Medicine. Regarding the College of Veterinary Medicine, we also welcomed inaugural dean – Dr. Steven Marks – in August 2023, received provisional College of Veterinary Medicine membership into the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, and have approved the construction of the College of Veterinary Medicine Complex. We are well on our way to welcoming our first cohort in 2026 and look forward to graduating our first class of Clemson veterinarians in 2030.
- Approval of both Phase I and Phase II of a six-level 1,200 space parking garage on the main campus, as well as approval of the Kite Hill Parking project and expansion of the R-4 parking lot. Trustees also approved Phase II of the Bryan Mall Renovation Project – renovating Lever Hall – and constructing an additional residential building at Douthit Hills to increase facilities for on-campus housing for first-year students.
- The creation of the Clemson University Extension Center for Health Outreach (CU-ECHO), a new Clemson University Center for Human-AI Interaction, Collaboration, and Teaming (CU-CHAI) as part of the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences, and the Clemson Experimental Forest Land Ethic and accompanying Management Framework to ensure we are meeting the needs of our citizens and preparing for the future.
- The creation of five new programs, including two new master’s programs in Learning Sciences and Computer Science, a new education specialist program within the College of Education, and two new doctoral programs in Health Psychology and in Veterinary Medicine. Trustees also approved the expansion of Clemson’s Nursing degree program to better serve the needs of the state and nation.
- Reviewing and revising the Manual of the Clemson University Board of Trustees to best serve the University.
![Board of Trustees members lined up in two rows outside](../images/annual-report/bot-group.jpg)
![Construction of the new Alumni and Visitor center.](../images/annual-report/alumni-visitor-center.jpg)
![Lael Day wearing a stethescope and a purple nursing uniform with orange tiger paw working on a laptop.](../images/annual-report/lael-day.jpg)
Excellence in Academia
We have also celebrated many achievements over the past academic year, including another record-breaking year for applications. With more than 61,000 students applying to become a Tiger for approximately 4,900 seats, market demand is incredibly high and continues to demonstrate the value of a Clemson degree. Staying true to our land-grant mission of serving the people of South Carolina, we are proud to have offered 95% of all South Carolina applicants a path to Clemson through general admission, Summer Start, or entrance into our Bridge program. This past year, we also entered into a state-wide transfer agreement, which provides a clear path from our state’s two-year institutions to Clemson University.
- 61,000+
Total Applicants - 95%
of all South Carolina applicants offered a path
Unmatched Success: A Stellar Year for Our Sports Teams
![Clemson United National Champions 2023 Mens Soccer team Road Sign unveiling in front of state house.](../images/annual-report/mens-soccer-national-champs.jpg)
Our sports teams enjoyed another incredible year. We had four final eight appearances in Women's Golf, Men's Basketball, Women's Soccer, and Men's Soccer, the first time we have had at least four teams in quarterfinal appearances in 45 years. Our Men's Soccer Team also won the National Championship in Soccer for the second time in three years. Our Football Team won the Gator Bowl, our Baseball Team hosted a Regional and a Super Regional, and many players were selected to continue their sport in their respective professional leagues. We also launched our Women's Gymnastics Team under coach Amy Smith for an outstanding inaugural season. And we sold a record-breaking number of tickets to Clemson athletic events, at nearly 800,000 tickets, with more than 1,000,000 fans in attendance at our home events. Our student-athletes are also excelling academically. Clemson’s graduation success rate (GSR) of 97% is a new department record, and is the #1 GSR across all public Power Four institutions in the country.
Innovation and Discovery
We had a record-breaking year in research and development expenditures, at $287 million. And in July 2024 we received word that SC Nexus was awarded more than $45 million in federal funding with Clemson University, a core consortium member, being awarded $12.5 million to advance our electrical grid simulator.
Milestones
We had a record-breaking year in fundraising with $259 million in giving this past year and a record-breaking number of unique donors at nearly 40,000. This year we received the highest ever bond ratings, being reaffirmed by all three agencies. The University’s Moody’s, S&P Global and Fitch ratings are now Aa2/AA+/AA, respectively — the highest they have ever been. And our accreditation agency, SACSCOC, reaffirmed our accreditation for the next ten years with a final report that listed no findings, recommendations, or third-party complaints or comments – something that is almost unheard of in higher education.
Transforming Our Campus
![3d printed model of three buildings along with some trees](../images/annual-report/cvm-plans.jpg)
We also had a record-breaking year in facilities as we continue to create the No. 1 student experience in the country for our Tigers through the work on major construction projects such as the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Forestry and Environmental Conservation building, Advanced Materials Innovation Complex, Alumni and Visitors Center building, the Watt Family Performance and Wellness Center, Tillman Auditorium Renovation, Bryan Mall High Rises Renovation and the Johnstone/Union/Harcombe Demolition, just to name a few. We also held ribbon-cutting events for five new and exciting areas across our main campus and innovation campuses across the state. And major projects, such as reopening Woodland Cemetery and completing the expansion of Perimeter Road and realignment of Williamson Road, were also completed over the past year.
Leadership Legacy
This year also marked the 10th anniversary of Dr. James P. Clements’ tenure as Clemson’s 15th President and an incredible decade of success. In addition to the record-breaking achievements, we continue to accomplish year after year through his leadership, as of August, President Clements has awarded 69,797 diplomas to our Tigers, the most diplomas awarded by a single President in University history, representing 37% of our living alumni.
Our Board of Trustees unanimously elected Trustee Nicky McCarter to serve for a second time as vice chair. And within our Board Office, we welcomed our new board secretary, April Purvis.
![President Clements standing in front of the large columns at Sikes Hall.](../images/annual-report/president.jpg)
![Trustee Nicky McCarter standing on the lawn in front of Sikes Hall.](../images/annual-report/mccarter.jpg)
![Orange tiger paw imprint](../images/annual-report/paw.jpg)
Looking Ahead
As you can see, this is truly a great time to be a Clemson Tiger, and our Board of Trustees continues to ensure that Clemson is positioned for even greater success in the future.