Budget Priorities

Since 1889, Clemson University has transformed South Carolina through top-quality education and cutting-edge research. Our public institution combines the benefits of a modern land-grant university with science- and engineering-focused research designed to move our state forward. Today, Clemson educates 15,760 South Carolinians and employs more than 5,800. Additionally, the state is home to 99,592 alumni who live, work and contribute to the economic well-being of our region.

Clemson continues to deliver one of the country’s highest ROI in salaries for graduates. The research, outreach and entrepreneurial projects led by our faculty and staff drive economic development across South Carolina. The University is tackling some of the state’s greatest challenges through scientific advances, applied research, workforce development and powerful education outreach.

Advancing new ideas and building a strong economy for all South Carolinians require continued financial investment on the part of the state. These budget requests are necessary to ensure and further enhance Clemson’s ability to drive innovation, stimulate economic growth and benefit all who call South Carolina home. 

Below is an overview of the University’s Education and General needs and budget requests to the S.C. Legislature for 2023-2024.

Public Service and Agriculture needs and budget requests may be viewed in detail here.

Recurring Requests, 2023-2024

Base Appropriations Increase — $12.1M

  • To mitigate tuition costs and continue to ensure affordable education opportunities for in-state students.
  • $4.8M — Offset increases in state-mandated and other inflationary costs and ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including utility commodity increases.
  • $4M — Critical faculty hires to support growth in business, STEM, public health and general education programs.
  • $3.2M — Factors in potential 1 percent COLA impact after considering the funding the state provides.
  • $0.1M — Bring fire/EMS staffing levels up to improve safety and security to align with national NFPA standards.

Clemson Emerging Scholars — $528K

  • In the past 20 years, 100 percent of Emerging Scholars students (over 1,000) have graduated from high school, and 82 percent go on to enroll in two-year and four-year colleges.
  • Seeking to partner with underserved and rural communities by expanding reach into new high schools in PeeDee region (Florence County, District 1).
  • Expansion of current program, including funding two FTE program coordinators who live around program schools, and academic and operational costs of program.

Student Experiential Learning — $3.5M

  • Expansion of program that provides multiple opportunities for students to participate in learning activities outside of the classroom, such as study abroad, cooperative internships, on-campus work experience and a nationally recognized undergraduate research program called Creative Inquiry.
  • Provides matched funding for industry and corporate partners through the Clemson Industry Experience Program — will help provide scholarships and experiential learning opportunities in partnership to benefit students.
  • Allows expansion of Creative Inquiry to increase accessibility — goal of doubling undergraduate participation to 8,000 students. 

Rural Health Programming Support Through Proviso 33.22 — no less than $1M

  • Disburse funding to Clemson Rural Health to develop and deliver innovative health care services, outreach programs and training opportunities that will help to better meet the needs of medically underserved communities throughout the state.

Nonrecurring/Capital Requests, 2023-2024

IT Network Infrastructure Improvements — $15M

  • Post-pandemic, the need to provide network resources to support teaching and core mission activities has increased demands on the University’s network, requiring additional investments.
  • At the same time, a national and international increase in cybersecurity threats has necessitated investments to secure the campus network.
  • IT network upgrades:
    • Completing the modernization of Clemson’s IT network environment, ensuring a reliable, high-performing network to serve our students’ increasing requirements for connectivity — $10M.
    • Additional tools and technology that will allow Clemson to address and counter the ever-increasing, ever-changing nature of cyberattacks — $5M.

E&G Planned Maintenance and Renewal Projects — $15M  

  • These projects were identified by the University as high-priority planned maintenance projects through a system-by-system inventory of every E&G building on campus and are part of the University’s 10-year renovation and renewal plan.
  • Planned maintenance ($15M):
    • HVAC – Six projects totaling $7,488,000.
    • Roofs – Five projects totaling $4,279,000.
    • Electrical – Three projects totaling $1,513,000.
    • Miscellaneous (including building envelope, site prep, hardscape, plumbing, elevators) — Nine projects totaling $1,720,000.

 Advanced Materials Innovation Complex — $25M

  • Will drive efficiency and productivity growth in advanced manufacturing through technological innovation.
  • Will provide 143,000 square feet of interdisciplinary research laboratory and teaching spaces for chemistry, material science and engineering, and chemical and biomolecular engineering programs.
  • Will support 300 research faculty and graduate personnel and accommodate more than 12,000 students a week in laboratory space.
  • Supports our statewide partnership with the University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University and industry partners in connection with the Savannah River National Laboratory.

NextGen Computing Complex — $25M

  • The School of Computing and the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering house Clemson University’s strongest programs and the fastest-growing research and educational enterprises in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
  • Current requirements for these disciplines far exceed the quality and quantity of existing space, much less address the total projected enrollment growth to approximately 3,000 students by 2030.
  • Provides teaching, learning and research opportunities for 7,100+ students in the college and houses all supporting faculty and staff.
  • Supports state industries, ranging from advanced manufacturing, health care and human services, energy, supply chain and transportation to agriculture, automotive, aerospace and business analytics.
  • Will further cement Clemson’s reputation and impact, becoming the driver for creating the next generation of computing workforce and innovation.

College of Veterinary Medicine 

As a land-grant public university with established large-animal research farms, a robust pre-veterinary medicine undergraduate program, and high-level research activity, Clemson University is clearly the logical institution within the state of South Carolina to be home to a College of Veterinary Medicine.

The initial results of a feasibility study show that the demand for veterinary services for animals in South Carolina greatly exceeds the current supply of veterinarians. The establishment of a College of Veterinary Medicine at Clemson University will provide an opportunity for South Carolina residents to obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree without leaving the state.

Recurring — $2.5M  

  • Supports hiring of initial staff, operational costs for curriculum development and facility design work.
    • Six FTEs: dean, two associate deans, two administrative coordinators and one assistant academic program director.

 Nonrecurring/Capital — $30M  

  • Total comprehensive capital cost estimates from all sources to complete the capital portion of the project is $285M within the next three to four years.
  • Provide resources for important steps in obtaining a “letter of reasonable assurance,” which is the first step toward accreditation with the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education.
  • Completion of design and construction documents as well as complete site preparation.
  • Separate Clemson PSA requests.