1. Adopt a bold vision.

In late 1999, during a national search for the 14th president of Clemson University, trustees asked finalist and college dean James F. Barker to describe his vision for Clemson. “In 10 years,” he said, “Clemson should be one of the nation’s top 20 public universities.” In hindsight, the statement would prove to be the start of a 10-year commitment to strategic planning, staying the course, and being dynamic and nimble in leveraging opportunities. It wasn’t about a magazine ranking at all: Barker, a one-time Clemson pole-vaulter, simply wanted to “raise the bar” for everyone.

In an e-mail to President Barker, a faculty member wrote: “At first I thought the Top-20 goal was crazy. I realize now that Top 20 means something completely different to each serious person that hears it. For me, it’s all about being the best graduate educator and research scientist that I can be. If each of us strives to be Top 20 in something, the institution is bound to improve. Very creative idea, President Barker. The best part of it is that it works!!”