Touting the virtues of Clemson University Monday at the Meninak Club’s gathering at the Radisson, Clemson president Jim Barker attempted to heighten awareness about the school in Jacksonville’s business community.
Barker outlined the university’s 10-year goals, which are emphasizing academic research, diversity on campus, student performance, educational resources and reputation.
Making Clemson one of the top 20 public universities in the country is the brass ring Barker is stretching for.
Ted Pappas, a Clemson alumni like Barker, invited him to speak at the function and Barker traveled from South Carolina just for the occasion.
The Sunshine State is fertile ground for the school’s recruiting efforts.
“We have over 3,500 alumni living in Florida and 471 living in Jacksonville,” said Barker.
Current students from Florida number 330 with total enrollment hovering around 17,000 pupils. Because Clemson wishes to hold at its present size in the interest of quality, out-of-state tuition has soared by 42 percent to offset rising costs and budget cuts from the state legislature.
Foreign students vying for acceptance at the university will have an even more difficult time getting in the door post-Sept. 11.
“We have to balance the area between a person’s privacy and national security,” said Barker. “We’ve not had concerns expressed whatsoever but the application process is taking much longer than it used to.”