James Frazier Barker (born May 1, 1947) is the former president of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

Clemson, South Carolina Clemson () is a city in Pickens County, South Carolina, Pickens and Anderson County, South Carolina, Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is adjacent to Clemson University, - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university pr ...

Early life and education

Barker was born in

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It lies along the Holston River and had a population of 55,442 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, ...

and graduated from

Dobyns-Bennett High School Dobyns-Bennett High School is a high school (grades 9–12) in Kingsport, Tennessee, United States. It typically educates around 2,400 students, although enrollment for the 2022–23 academic year exceeded 2,500 students. As a part of Kingsport ...

. He attended

and graduated with a degree in architecture in 1970. He then attended

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

, earning a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in architecture in 1973.

Career

Following graduation, Barker was hired as an assistant professor of architecture at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

. In 1974, he moved to

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

. In 1984 he became

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of architecture at Mississippi State. Barker became dean of architecture at Clemson University in 1986, a position he held until his election as president in 1999.

President of Clemson

Barker served as President of Clemson from 1999 to 2014. In his inaugural address, Barker stated a goal of having Clemson ranked in the Top 20 public universities, as ranked by '' U.S. News & World Report''. During his tenure, Clemson's ''U.S. News'' ranking has risen from #38 to #22. Barker has overseen the creation of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research and the Restoration Institute in

North Charleston North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. As ...

(including a $98 million

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

research center). Barker also has served as the chair of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I board of directors from 2007 until 2010, and commissioner (2002–2004) and chair (2004–2006) of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

. In January 2013, Barker underwent five heart bypass surgeries. On April 16, 2013, he announced plans to retire and return full-time to the classroom. James P. Clements replaced him as president on January 1, 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, James Frazier 1947 births Living people Clemson University alumni Clemson University faculty Mississippi State University faculty Presidents of Clemson University University of Tennessee faculty Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts alumni Fellows of the American Institute of Architects People from Kingsport, Tennessee