Clemson University — again — has a choice for president just three days after trustees' initial selection backed out of the role.
Trustees announced in a July 9 meeting that the University of Georgia's Benjamin Ayers will begin his tenure as Clemson president Aug. 1. The decision was unanimous.
Ayers is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at UGA. His presidency at Clemson will start with a five-year term that pays about $1 million a year before added bonuses or incentives. The university's not-for-profit foundation will pay for $668,468 of the initial million, while the state will provide the other $331,532.
The foundation will also cover potential raises to come with positive performance reviews.
The contract style essentially matched the one offered to Michigan State University Provost Kevin Guskiewicz, who backed away from the role of president after "personal reflection."
Trustees unveiled the plan for Guskiewicz to lead Clemson May 27, and about six weeks later, Ayers is now set to lead students and staff.
Board of trustees chair Kim Wilkerson said she looked forward to the university having a president that would put the institution first.
"Throughout this process, he's demonstrated humility, sound judgement and an unwavering commitment to the institution he was serving," she said. "Those qualities gave us confidence that he would bring that same thoughtful stewardship to Clemson University."
Although Guskiewicz was not referenced by name, Wilkerson did seem to acknowledge his choice and said the recent clarity deserved respect.
"One of the truest tests in life is knowing with total clarity where you belong. It reveals itself in its own time to each person in its own way, and when it does, that clarity deserves respect," she said. "We have watched that kind of clarity play out in the last couple of days."
Ayers had previously stepped back from the initial search process to commit himself to UGA, according to a letter from Wilkerson. He had worked at the university since 1996 and spent about 11 years as the Terry College of Business' dean.
"When circumstances changed, conversations resumed and the Board quickly affirmed what had become clear throughout the search: Dr. Ayers’ experience and vision made him the unanimous choice to serve as Clemson’s next president," Wilkerson wrote in her letter.
He, too, led Georgia's J.M. Tull School of Accounting for nine years. Prior to his career in academia, Ayers received a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in taxation from the University of Alabama. He then earned a doctorate in accounting at the University of Texas.
Wilkerson cited UGA's consistent top-20 public university ranking and the development of a school of medicine during Ayers' time as provost as key pull factors.
Ayers will succeed Clemson University's 15th President Jim Clements, who retired last December.
