During its quarterly meeting at the Madren Conference Center on Feb. 1 and 2, the Clemson University Board of Trustees approved final-phase plans and resolutions authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds to construct a new academic building which will house the College of Business, as well as a new tennis center on campus.
The business college will relocate from its current home in Sirrine Hall, which was built in 1938, to a new 162,000-square-foot building scheduled to open in summer 2019.
It will include classrooms and learning laboratories, faculty and administrative offices, study and gathering spaces and common areas for greater collaboration among students, faculty, staff and business partners.
The total project cost, estimated at $87.5 million, will be funded through a combination of state capital appropriations, state institution bonds and private gift funds.
Sirrine Hall will be used for the university’s ongoing maintenance and stewardship plan for older facilities.
Trustees also approved plans for the proposed tennis center for the men’s and women’s varsity teams. The new 48,000-square-foot tennis center will include six indoor courts, two outdoor courts, a clubhouse, locker rooms, a training room, equipment rooms, a players’ lounge, laundry and coaches’ offices, a ticket office, public restrooms and related site work. It will also retain some existing tennis facilities, including outdoor competition courts and a 700-seat permanent stadium.
The total project cost, estimated at $12.5 million, will be funded by either athletic facilities revenue bonds and/or athletic private gifts. It is scheduled to be completed in winter 2017-18.
Trustees also approved a $10 million budget for renovations and expansion of IPTAY offices at Memorial Stadium. It will be funded by athletic private gifts.
In relation to academic programs, the trustees also approved: a new online Master of Science degree in data science and analytics; adding MUSC in Charleston as an additional location for Master of Science in Bioengineering and Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering courses; transitioning the Registered Nurse (RN)/Bachelor of Science Completion Program to online delivery; a name change from Master of Arts in Professional Communication to Master of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Media; a concentration merger in Bachelor of Science Materials Science and Engineering; and the lease renewal for the component testing laboratory at CU-ICAR in Greenville.
The trustees also approved extending the contract for President James P. Clements to Feb. 2, 2022. Clements’ original contract was set to expire at the end of 2018. The financial terms of the president’s contract have not changed. Clements currently earns an annual salary of $801,330. The state of South Carolina pays $312,530 with the remaining $488,800 being paid by the Clemson University Foundation.
Trustees also approved salary increases for the associate vice president for enrollment management, the associate provost and dean of the graduate school, the associate provost for faculty affairs and the chief of staff.
Trustees also approved staff raises for seven returning football assistant coaches. In all, the board Thursday approved $775,000 in raises for assistants who helped the Tigers win a national championship last season.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ contract was extended through 2020 and he earned a raise of $275,000, bringing his salary to $1.7 million next season.
Co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott both received raises of $175,000, bringing their salaries to $800,000.
Offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell’s salary increased to $515,000, a raise of $50,000.
Quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter’s salary increased by $55,000 to $430,000, tight ends coach Danny Pearman’s by $25,000 to $460,000 and cornerbacks coach Mike Reed’s by $20,000 to $420,000.
New safeties coach Mickey Conn will make $350,000 while new defensive line coach Todd Bates will earn $250,000.