Tag: director

By Jackie Todd, Clemson University Relations

An accomplished leader with 25 years of experience in higher education research and analytics, statistical data analysis and key performance metrics has joined Clemson as the university’s director of Institutional Research (IR).

Juan Xu, Ph.D. will manage the workflow of critical reporting, compliance and accreditation projects, and lead the IR staff to enhance processes, tools and insights to support the university’s mission and ClemsonForward.

“It is a sincere delight to welcome Juan and her family to the Clemson Family,” said Jeremy King, associate provost for institutional effectiveness. “She brings an impressive blend of interpersonal skills, collaborative posture, institutional research experience and a fastidious commitment to student and faculty success that will all be needed to meet the aspirational goals of Clemson Forward for the benefit of our students, their families and the State of South Carolina.”

King said that Xu’s experience as director of student research in the Office of University of Analytics and Institutional Research at the University of Arizona focused on student success, a key element of the ClemsonForward plan. He added that her understanding of the elements of traditional institutional research as well as the value of business intelligence, predictive analytics and data visualization made her a good fit for the position.

Xu also brings international perspective… personally and professionally.

The youngest child of farmers in a rural Chinese village, Xu knew firsthand the rigors of farming life. She watched her parents work very hard just to make ends meet. But farming wasn’t in her blood. Her dream was to go to college and live in a city.

She did just that. The first-generation college student earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Harbin Institute of Technology – a top nine university in China. During that time, she gained a strong interest in higher education while working in the higher education division of the Heilongjiang province’s state department of education.

American higher education, according to Xu, is the best system in the world. With that thought, Xu moved to the United States and earned her Ph.D. in leadership and higher education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

After graduation, Xu worked in institutional research at the State University of New York and became manager and then director of the office of Institutional Analysis at Brock University in Ontario, Canada.

At Clemson, the new Institutional Research director will first focus on getting the lay of the land and connect with colleagues.

“I’m so glad to be here,” said Xu. “I was drawn to Clemson University because of its reputation as an outstanding academic reputation, its stated strong commitment to individual student success and the people I got to know during the search process.”

By David Seguine, Class of 2018

Clemson’s financial aid department gained a new director, but she is no rookie to how the department operates.

Elizabeth Milam, who was the department’s senior associate director, assumed her new role during the summer. The longtime administrator has held multiple positions in financial aid, so she knows the ropes.

“I’ve been at Clemson for more than 30 years, most of them in the financial aid department,” Milam said. “I started as a counselor, and progressed all the way to director.”

The new director has big plans for her position and department. These goals range from enhancing usability and accessibility to the existing IROAR system, to beefing up IROAR’s security and meeting financial aid’s compliance standards. Milam knows that certain added security measures might be frustrating for parents, but it is necessary to protect students’ personal information and identity.

Milam also has plans for her employees in the financial aid department.

“My staff pours their hearts into their work,” Milam said. “My goal is to make sure they understand what a vital role they fulfill and that they are deeply appreciated, even through the tough decisions.”

Milam said that working in financial aid can be challenging, as employees must work with families in financial crisis with limited resources trying to figure out how they can afford a college education. Sometimes her employees must make tough decisions, as students may not qualify for the funds they need and deny incoming students crucial funds.

The financial aid director knows there are challenges ahead that come with the territory of a growing campus, but she is ready to adapt and meet these challenges head on. In the last five years alone, Milam said the number of undergraduate students with financial need has risen by approximately 1,000. She knows the financial aid department must evolve to meet the needs of a larger student body, but they cannot afford to lose the personal touch that has become synonymous with Clemson.

“I think it is important to understand Clemson’s legacies, processes, strengths and flaws,” Milam said about her plans for the department. “We want to improve, evolve, and become more inclusive, while honoring our traditions and maintaining our unique qualities.”

Margaret Camp, M.Ed. has joined Clemson as the director of Student Disability Services. Camp succeeds Arlene Stewart, who retired from the university in June. The new director has worked with students with disabilities for more than two decades and comes to the university from USC-Upstate, where she served as director of disability services for more than 10 years.

“I’m very excited to join Clemson, which has such a great national reputation,” Camp said. “I’m anxious to hit the ground running and will be working closely with faculty, staff and students to enhance educational and inclusion opportunities.”

The North Carolina native currently serves on the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Standing Committee on Professional Development, the Southeast ADA Center Roundtable of Advisors and the Spartanburg Mayor’s Form on People with Disabilities.
Camp was selected as one of 25 disability services providers across the country to participate in the three-year Department of Education funded training grant, Project ShIFT (Shaping Inclusion through Foundational Transformation). She has held leadership positions and speaking engagements at the local, state and national levels, including service as the program chair for the AHEAD 2011 Annual Conference and as Chair of the South Carolina AHEAD affiliate group.

Camp earned a B.S. in psychology from Guilford College, a M.Ed. in school psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has completed Ph.D. coursework in school psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.