Clemson University, founded in 1889, is a public research university located in Clemson, South Carolina. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees. The president acts as the school's chief executive officer, reporting to the board, and is tasked with providing leadership to the faculty and students, and represents the institution in public.

The institution's first president was Henry Aubrey Strode, appointed in 1890, and its current is Benjamin C. Ayers, named on July 9, 2026. Robert Cook Edwards had the longest tenure at 21 years, and Walter T. Cox Jr. had the shortest at eight months. There have been three interim presidents, and six presidents who have been alumni of the university. , the salary of the president was $987,530.

The first official residence for the president was completed in 1893, with president Craighead as its first resident. Walter Riggs, already a professor at the university, chose to remain in his house upon becoming president. Following his death, presidents Sikes and Poole also lived in the Riggs house. The current president's house was completed in 1959 for R. C. Edwards. The office of the president is housed in Sikes Hall.

Presidents +PresidentTerm startTerm endClemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (1889–1964) 1 Henry Aubrey Strode 1890 1893 2 Edwin Boone Craighead 1893 1897 interim Mark Bernard Hardin 1897 1897 3 Henry Simms Hartzog 1897 1902 interim Mark Bernard Hardin 1902 1902 4 Patrick Hues Mell, Jr. 1902 1910 5 Walter Merritt Riggs 1910 January 22, 1924 interim Samuel Broadus Earle 1924 1925 6 Enoch Walter Sikes 1925 1940 7 Robert Franklin Poole (BA 1916) 1940 1958Clemson University (1964–present) 8 Robert Cook Edwards (BA 1933) 1958 1979 9 Bill Lee Atchley 1979 June 30, 1985 10 Walter Thompson Cox Jr., (BA 1939) July 1, 1985 February 28, 1986 11 A. Max Lennon March 1, 1986 July 1994 interim Philip Hunter Prince, (BA 1949) July 1994 September 30, 1994 12 September 30, 1994 May 31, 1995 13 Constantine W. Curris June 1, 1995 November 10, 1999 14 James Frazier Barker, (BA 1970) November 11, 1999 December 30, 2013 15 James P. Clements December 31, 2013 December 31, 2025 interim Robert H. Jones, (BS 1979, MS 1981) January 1, 2026 July 31, 2026 16 Benjamin C. Ayers August 1, 2026 present

Timeline of presidencies

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External links Official website