James Patrick Clements (born March 11, 1964) is the 15th president of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. He assumed office on December 31, 2013, after being president of West Virginia University for five years.[2] Prior to his presidency, he was the provost and vice president of academic affairs for Towson University.[3]
James Patrick Clements | |
|---|---|
 Clements in 2018 | |
| 15th President of Clemson University | |
| Assumed office December 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | James Frazier Barker |
| 23rd President of the West Virginia University | |
| In office June 30, 2009 – December 30, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | C. Peter Magrath |
| Succeeded by | E. Gordon Gee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 11, 1964 Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland, Baltimore County (BS, MS, PhD)[1] Johns Hopkins University (MS) |
| Profession | Educator |
| Website | Biography |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | An investigation of the effectiveness of information systems on the creative aspects of managerial decision-making (1993) |
| Doctoral advisor | Guisseppi A. Forgionne |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Computer Science |
| Institutions | |
Early life
editClements is a graduate of Randallstown High School in Randallstown, Maryland. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University. He then returned to UMBC where he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Operations Analysis.[4]
Towson University and West Virginia University
editPrevious to assuming presidency at Clemson University, Clements was the vice president of academic affairs for Towson University and president of West Virginia University. At Towson, he held many positions including Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professor of Information Technology; Chair, Department of Computer and Information Sciences; and Executive Director, Center for Applied Information Technology. He was a consultant to many private companies during his career at Towson.[3]
Clements served as president for nearly five years at West Virginia University. During his presidency, WVU set many records in private fundraising, research funding, applications and enrollment. WVU grew and developed under Clements through partnerships; he made nearly $1.5 billion worth of capital improvements on campus, and around the community.[citation needed]
Clemson University
editClements became the 15th President of Clemson University on December 31, 2013.[3] In addition to his responsibilities as President of the University he holds a joint appointment as Professor in the School of Computing and Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering.
Under the leadership of President Clements, Clemson has reached several milestones including: the largest campus facilities development initiative in university history, a record number of student applications with the strongest academic profile ever, and an 80% increase in private fundraising since 2014. President Clements has helped to raise more than $1.5 billion in private funds at Clemson University. Combined, his fundraising efforts at both Clemson and WVU totals more than $2.3 billion.
In addition to his role as president, Clements served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in 2015.[5] He also served as chair of the American Council on Education (ACE) Commission on Leadership; co-chaired the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship;[6] and served on the executive committee of the APLU's Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity. He also serves on the ACE board and the Executive Committee for both the Council on Competitiveness and the Board for the Business Higher Education Forum.[7] He is also the only university president to ever serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce Innovation Advisory Board.
Clements' book, Successful Project Management,[8] is now in its 7th edition and is published in multiple languages and used in numerous countries.
Personal life
editClements married his wife, Elisabeth Smith Clements, on December 29, 1990. Dr. Clements and Beth have four children.[4]
Their daughter Grace has apraxia, a neurological speech disorder. In 2010 Beth Clements’ parents, Clifton and Priscilla Smith, donated $25,000 to West Virginia University in their granddaughter's name for research, they established the Grace Clements Speech Pathology and Audiology Research Endowment.[9] At Clemson, Beth is a member of the advisory board for ClemsonLIFE, a program designed to help young adults with special needs. In 2015, the Clemson Board of Visitors established the Grace Clements Scholarship Endowment to provide financial assistance to ClemsonLIFE students. Clements and Beth contributed $100,000 to the endowment named for their youngest daughter.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "James P. Clements '85, M.S. '91, Ph.D. '93 Named President of Clemson University". UMBC Alumni. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "WVU Presidents". West Virginia University. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c "James P. Clements, Ph.D., President, Clemson University". Clemson University. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Brenner, Aaron (November 11, 2013). "New Clemson University President James P. Clements says school 'exactly what we were looking for'". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "APLU Announces 2016 Board of Directors, University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little to Chair of the Board". Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) Board (2014-16) | U.S. Economic Development Administration". Economic Development Administration. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Hyde, Paul (October 6, 2017). "Clemson trustees approve $100,000 pay raise for President Clements". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Gido, Jack; Clements, Jim; Baker, Rose (2017). Successful Project Management (7 ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781337517355.
- ^ "Endowment named for Clements' daughter established at WVU to aid speech pathology and audiology research". WVU Today. November 12, 2010. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2019.