James F. Barker, FAIA
President
Clemson University
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(864) 656-3413
jbarker@clemson.edu
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Clemson
University’s 14th president, James
F. Barker, is first and foremost an architect. He came to the
office with a
clear blueprint of Clemson’s future in mind — to
become one of the nation’s top public universities. To
achieve this vision, Barker led the development of 10-year goals
and an action plan built around collaboration, focus, relevance
and academic quality.
The results speak for themselves: Today, Clemson is considered
an academic rising star, nearly doubling research in just three
years, launching major new economic development initiatives,
dramatically increasing the quality of the student body and experiencing
a greater rise in national rankings than any public university
in the top 40. For his leadership, Barker has been honored with
the Buck Mickel Award for Business and Community Leadership by
the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Anderson Independent-Mail
Pointing the Way Leadership Award and the Order of the Palmetto — the
state’s highest civilian honor. He also was inducted into
the Boys and Girls Clubs Hall of Fame.
Barker has emerged as a national leader in academic and public
service arenas. He currently serves as chair of the Commission
on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,
the region’s accrediting agency, leading the search for
the organization’s new CEO. He chaired the ACC Council
of Presidents during its expansion. He also has served on the
Truman Scholars selection committee, was a Cambridge University
Visiting Scholar, and has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees
from S.C. State University and Mars Hill College.
Barker is a recipient of the National Distinguished Professor
Award of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
and served as president of that association. He was named Fellow
of the American Institute of Architects and has also been a partner
in an architectural practice.
As Clemson president, Barker remains committed to the classroom.
Each spring, he is part of a team that teaches an undergraduate
course exploring “a sense of place” in architecture,
literature and history.
Barker, a native of Kingsport, Tenn., earned his bachelor of
architecture degree from Clemson in 1970 and his master of architecture
and urban design degree from Washington University in St. Louis
in 1973. He and his wife, Marcia, have two sons: Jacob and Britt.
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