The search committee charged with finding the 15th president of Clemson University held its organizational meeting Monday, officially launching the process to find a successor to President Jim Barker.
David Wilkins, chairman of the Board of Trustees, charged the committee with the following: The hiring of a President for the University is the most important job the Board of Trustees will undertake. This Search Committee is charged to be deliberate, be thorough, be inclusive, seek input from all core Clemson constituent groups as faculty, staff, students and alumni, and to proceed with a purpose. Please recommend to the full Board no more than five, but not less than three, top quality candidates for their consideration. These candidates should be forwarded to the Board in an unranked manner as it will be the full Board’s responsibility to hire Clemson’s next president.
In a related action after the meeting, Wilkins appointed Faculty Senate President Kelly Smith to the committee as an ex-officio member.
“We welcome the addition of Dr. Smith as a member of the search committee and believe the action taken by Chairman Wilkins recognizes the unique role of the faculty in university governance,” said search committee chair Smyth McKissick. “We look forward to working with Dr. Smith and feel he will bring great value to the deliberations. While other groups will not be directly represented on the committee, processes to engage other Clemson constituents, including students, staff and alumni, are being developed.”
