SENSE OF THE BOARD REGARDING ACCURATELY PORTRAYING CLEMSON UNIVERSITY’S HISTORY 
Expressing  the  sense  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Clemson  University  regarding 
accurately portraying Clemson University’s history; 
WHEREAS, Clemson University was established in 1889 with the fundamental purpose of 
being a high seminary of learning; 
Clemson University has throughout the years held true to its fundamental purpose while 
becoming a coeducational institution in 1955, peacefully desegregating in 1963, being renamed 
Clemson University in 1964, and becoming the nationally recognized public university that it is 
today; 
As  a  national  leader  among  public  universities,  Clemson  University  is  committed  to 
diversity, inclusiveness and historical accuracy as key values needed to continue our founding 
purpose of being a high seminary of learning; 
Recent events in our state and nationally have prompted concerns about how Clemson 
University portrays its history and how that portrayal impacts the full breadth of the Clemson 
family; 
Clemson  wants  to  acknowledge  the  leadership  of  the  Governor,  the  Senate,  and  the 
House  with  respect  to  their  removal  of  the  Confederate  flag  from  the  grounds  of  the  state 
house; 
Ten past Presidents of the Faculty Senate have recently written to the Board of Trustees 
requesting reconsideration of the 1946 decision to honor Benjamin Tillman by naming the Old 
Main Building Tillman Hall; 
Benjamin  Tillman  played  a  key  role  in  the  founding  and  early  success  of  Clemson 
University,  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  original  Trustees  of  the  then  Clemson  Agricultural 
College of South Carolina, and served as Governor of the State of South Carolina and a United 
States Senator; 
Benjamin Tillman was also known to be by his own admission an ardent racist and led a 
campaign of terror against African Americans in South Carolina that included intimidation and 
violence of which he boasted about publicly; and 
For some members of our university family Benjamin Tillman’s legacy included not only 
contributions to Clemson University but also oppression, terror and hate. 
 

 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: 
 The sense of the Board of Trustees is that such actions and views of Benjamin Tillman 
are  repugnant  to  our  values  and  our  fundamental  purpose  of  being  a  high  seminary  of 
education;  
The Board of Trustees reaffirms that Clemson University should be known as a Top 20 
Public University and for its outstanding students, faculty, and staff not by the racist actions a 
century ago; and 
There  is  a  need  for  a  task  force  of  members  of  the  Board  to  work  closely  with  the 
President and administration on how to best preserve and tell the complete history of Clemson 
University.  This task force is charged with the engagement of stakeholders to include students, 
faculty,  administration  and  alumni  to  receive  their  input.    The  task  force  is  charged  with 
creating a comprehensive plan to include, but not limited to, any recommendations regarding 
curating  our  historic  buildings  and  memorials,  developing  better  ways  to  acknowledge  and 
teach  the  history  of  Clemson  University,  and  exploring  appropriate  recognition  of  historical 
figures.  This task force will serve for a period of six months at which time it shall expire unless 
extended  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  will  report  its  progress  and  any 
recommendations to the Board at its quarterly meetings.