Benjamin C. Ayers, Ph.D.

Following a national search, Benjamin C. Ayers was named Clemson University’s next president on July 9, 2026. A nationally respected academic leader, accomplished administrator and award-winning educator, Ayers brings three decades of experience in higher education, with a record of advancing academic excellence, strengthening research, expanding student opportunities and building broad support for public universities. He will become Clemson’s 16^th president on Aug. 1, 2026. 

Before joining Clemson, Ayers served as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia (UGA), where he was the University’s chief academic officer. He oversaw UGA’s academic enterprise, including its 20 schools and colleges, as well as instruction, research, public service and outreach, information technology and the offices that support faculty, graduate education, global engagement and libraries. During his tenure as provost, he helped advance major academic initiatives including the UGA School of Medicine and the Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing, and expanded global study abroad participation to rank No. 1 nationally for short-term study.

Prior to becoming provost, Ayers served for 11 years as dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business, one of the nation’s leading public business schools. During his tenure, the college expanded academic programs, increased undergraduate and graduate enrollment, strengthened student success initiatives and study abroad opportunities, and significantly increased philanthropic support. More than $300 million was raised to support scholarships, faculty excellence, academic programs and new facilities.

Ayers served for nine years as head of UGA’s J.M. Tull School of Accounting after joining the faculty as an assistant professor in 1996. Throughout his academic career, he has earned a national reputation as a scholar in taxation and financial accounting while receiving numerous honors for excellence in teaching and research. He served as president of the American Taxation Association in 2017 and has held leadership roles in several national academic organizations.

Ayers earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Alabama before completing a doctorate in accounting at the University of Texas at Austin. Before entering academia, Ayers worked in the private sector with KPMG and Complete Health Inc.

Ayers and his wife, Marilyn, have three children—Benjamin, Georgia and Margaret—and a son-in-law, Greg. They are proud grandparents to their granddaughter, Lindley. Their family also includes their dog, Blue.