Clemson University first opened its doors in 1889 with a very clear vision: to “be a high seminary of learning in which the graduate of the common schools can commence, pursue and finish the course of studies terminating in thorough theoretic and practical instruction.”
Thomas Green Clemson’s now famous words left to us in his will have guided the University’s actions through the years, from a college focusing on the art and science of agriculture to a university teaching students in more than 70 undergraduate and 100 graduate degree programs.
Today, our vision looks to the future while still remembering where our roots were first planted.
Vision Statement
Clemson will be one of the nation's top-20 public universities.
Mission Statement
The mission of Clemson University is to fulfill the covenant between its founder and the people of South Carolina to establish a "high seminary of learning" through its historical land-grant responsibilities of teaching, research and extended public service.
Clemson University is a selective, public, land-grant university in a college-town setting along a dynamic Southeastern corridor. The University is committed to world-class teaching, research and public service in the context of general education, student development and continuing education. Clemson's desire is to attract a capable, dedicated and diverse student body of approximately 12,000 to 14,000 undergraduate and 4,000 to 5,000 graduate students, with priority to students from South Carolina.
Clemson offers a wide array of high-quality baccalaureate programs built around a distinctive core curriculum. Graduate and continuing education offerings respond to the professions, while doctoral and research programs contribute to the economic future of the state, nation and world. The University emphasizes agriculture, architecture, business, education, engineering, natural resources, science and technology. The University also promotes excellence in education and scholarship in selected areas of the creative arts, health, human development, the humanities and social sciences. In all areas, the goal is to develop students' communication and critical-thinking skills, ethical judgment, global awareness, and scientific and technological knowledge. Students remain the primary focus of the University.
Just as Clemson values its students, the University also values its faculty and staff who have committed their talents and careers to advance its mission. Clemson pledges to support their work, to encourage their professional development, to evaluate their professional performance and to compensate them at nationally competitive levels.
Approved by the Clemson University Board of Trustees, January 26, 2001.
Read President Barker's 2011 Goals for Clemson University, established with the Board of Trustees in 2001