The Clemson board of trustees approved a $2.1 billion budget, the largest budget in the University’s history, for the 2024-2025 fiscal year at their summer quarterly meeting on July 18.

The budget “represents disciplined expense management and revenue growth in support of Clemson Elevate priorities while enabling Clemson to pursue AAU status,” according to Clemson News.

During the meeting, BOT members mentioned that Clemson University received groundbreaking philanthropic support last year — $259 million of support, to be exact.

“The $259,072,365 raised in academic and athletic support was given by 40,484 individual alumni, faculty, staff, parents, friends, partners and donors,” according to Clemson News.

This year’s donations exceeded money raised in the 2023-2024 fiscal year by 19%.

In June, the board approved an in-state tuition freeze for the fifth year in a row. Out-of-state tuition was increased by 3.5%, the second raise in the past five years.

Housing Expansions

The budget included the expansion of on-campus housing for first-year students in Douthit Hills.

The budget approved an additional residential building in the Douthit Hills community, which will provide 360 beds, a classroom, collaboration space and space for a faculty apartment, according to Clemson News.

Another project included in the budget is the renovation of Lever Hall, which is the last building to be refurbished in the Bryan Mall renovation plans. Bryan Mall is an on-campus residence space with a capacity for 1,450 students, consisting of Byrnes Hall, Manning Hall and Lever Hall.

The renovation of Byrnes Hall was finished just in time to welcome the 2024-2025 freshman class. Manning Hall was previously approved for construction and is predicted to be completed in August 2025.

“The work will include repairing the building envelopes; improving accessibility; installing new fire sprinkler systems; replacing the plumbing, HVAC, electrical and roofing systems; and abating hazardous materials,” according to Clemson News.

Facility Updates

The design and construction of a new parking amenity by Williamson Road and Perimeter Road is also underway. The facility provides 1,200 parking spaces spread out over six levels for visitors, alumni, future students and more.

The facility’s location near the new alumni center will “leverage investments” to both Perimeter and Williamson roads and will channel traffic to remain around the perimeter of campus.

Clemson’s new College of Veterinary Medicine will experience benefits from the FY25 budget as well. Approximately $285.5 million will be allocated to complex construction for the college.

Facilities for clinicals, teaching and research will take up 232,500 square feet on Clemson’s main campus near the intersection of West Queen Street and Starkey Road.

“This site provides the veterinary school students and faculty with proximity and easy access to the University research farms, teaching herds, and the T. Ed Garrison Arena and Expo Center, one of the premier livestock facilities in the Southeast,” according to Clemson News.

Additionally, the Clemson Center of Human Genetics received $4 million as part of the University’s mission of “advancing the understanding of the fundamental principles by which genetic and environmental factors determine and predict both healthy traits and susceptibility to disease,” according to the FY25 budget document.

With this funding, the center will hire five new faculty members and provide renewals in infrastructure, equipment and supplies. Some of these updates include sequencers and a machine learning system node capable of artificial intelligence (AI) application, according to the budget document.

Similarly, in order to help create a technologically competent workforce in the state of South Carolina, the board approved $25 million to build a NextGen Computing Complex.

While construction has not yet begun, the projected 165,000-square-foot facility will accommodate the expected growth in student enrollment and faculty hires in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the fastest-growing research area in the School of Computing with 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students predicted to be enrolled by 2030 as well as 20% more faculty.

Looking even further into the future, the University has allocated $23 million toward a new student health facility. The funding requested is for plan year 2026, and the project has not yet received Phase 1 or Phase 2 approval from the board, according to the budget document.

Projected as a 65,000-square-foot building, the new health center would provide students access to primary care, counseling and psychological services, sexual health services, reproductive care, sports medicine, and allergy and immunization clinics. The new center also plans to include a pharmacy, a radiology center and laboratory services, according to the budget document.

Other Funding

As part of Clemson’s Student Experiential Learning initiative, $4.5 million will directly support students pursuing internships, co-ops, scholarships and other such opportunities.

$2.5 million will serve as a funding match for various corporate and industry partners, while the other $1.5 million will go toward grants of up to $5,000 for Pell-eligible, first-generation or in-state students who are seeking to pursue experiential learning.

The budget also supports the hire of Doug Hallenbeck as the new vice president for student affairs, following former vice president Chris Miller’s resignation in March.