Getting to Know Clemson University is Quite an Education

Clemson University came into being in 1889.  For over one hundred years it has served the state of South Carolina.  With this perspective in mind, it is appropriate to assess its first century.  Clemson University is the culmination of a dream – the dream of Mr. Thomas Green Clemson.  Mr. Benjamin R. Tillman nurtured it.  Along the way, many others supplemented their efforts.

Under the guidance of an influential, devoted Board of Trustees, dedicated presidents and supported by an excellent faculty – the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina began filling a void in the state.  Here, the best agricultural technology was taught and distributed, textile leaders were trained and the roots of a solid engineering program took hold.

The all male, military and technically oriented college changed little from the day the doors first opened in 1893, until the 1950s, but served the needs of the state until the post-World War II era.  Then, state leaders and members of the Board of Trustees began to realize Clemson was more than just a college – it was an institution with a mission of service to the people of South Carolina.  This time period saw a growing involvement of Clemson in the economic fortunes of the state.  Clemson began developing programs that would benefit the economy.  New industries were created and new agricultural crops were developed.  These things were all done within the context of the mission of a land-grant college:  teaching, research and public service.  These changes alerted the Board of Trustees of the need to make internal changes.

The most dramatic changes in the life of the college were triggered by the retention of the consulting firm, Cresap, McCormick and Paget.  The implementation of their recommendations had more far-reaching consequences than ever imagined at the time.  In 1955, with these changes in place, Clemson had the internal framework to provide the services required to meet the changing needs of South Carolina.

The change in the structure of Clemson required a new kind of leadership.  The first to arrive was Robert C. Edwards, who was hired in 1956 as a direct result of the CMP report.  When Edwards came to Clemson as vice president for development, a new position recommended in the CMP report, the college was still struggling to