Clemson University’s Board of Trustees unanimously selected Benjamin C. Ayers, Ph.D. on Thursday to become the university’s next president, setting up a leadership change that will take effect Aug. 1. Ayers, who currently serves as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia, said he is humbled by the opportunity to join the Clemson Family.
The choice gives Clemson a new president with a long academic résumé and a clear start date, the kind of transition universities usually make only after weighing experience, judgment and the ability to lead a large campus. In this case, the board made its decision public without naming other finalists or airing any dissent, signaling a consensus around Ayers at a moment when the university is looking for continuity at the top.
That support was echoed by Cheri Phyfer, who said Ayers impressed the presidential search committee with his candor, integrity and genuine enthusiasm for Clemson University. Kim Wilkerson described him as an accomplished scholar and collaborative leader, and said his record reflects a deep commitment to academic excellence, student success and institutional advancement. Together, their comments framed him as a leader who can step into a complex job without needing a long adjustment period.
At Georgia, Ayers oversees the academic enterprise across 20 schools and colleges, along with instruction, research, public service and outreach, information technology and the offices supporting faculty, graduate education, global engagement and libraries. Before that, he spent 11 years as dean of the Terry College of Business, a span that helps explain why Clemson could view him as a seasoned administrator rather than a leap into untested territory.
Still, the selection leaves one question that matters to Clemson students, faculty and supporters: what will he do first once he arrives? Ayers said Clemson’s tradition of excellence, its commitment to students and its impact through teaching, research and service make it one of the nation’s most respected public universities, and he said he looks forward to working alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters to build on that foundation. The presidency begins Aug. 1, and the real measure of the choice will be whether his first months turn that confidence into a clear agenda.
