The Clemson football program has "gone from very good to nationally elite" since James Clements took over as school president in late '13, and now the school readies for its second straight appearance in the CFP, according to Gene Sapakoff of the Charleston POST & COURIER. Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for brevity (Charleston POST & COURIER, 12/28).
Q: How much easier is it for you to go to alumni meetings and do fundraising when the football team makes the CFP two years in a row?
Clements: People are happier. People feel good. That allows me to recruit more students, raise more money and spread the message of the good news of the rest of the institution: academics and research, facilities. It goes a long way. And also the fact we do it the right way. Our student-athletes graduate and I would argue we have the best coach in the country because he teaches them so much about life. It’s a winning formula.
Q: Dabo Swinney is quite an unusual personality. What’s it like to have him as the face of Clemson? Would you agree he has become the face of the entire university?
Clements: Everything you see in Dabo, that’s who he is. He’s no different in private than with the media. He loves his players and loves this school. He is the best in the business. That means a lot of things: winning on the field, making sure your student-athletes graduate, running a program with the highest level of culture and character. He does so many things so well. He’s a great face and representative for this institution. People love him as a person and as a coach.
Q: Clemson is about to open its new $55M football building, complete with a two-story slide, a miniature golf course and perks that seem to a lot of people at odds with other things on campus, or the fact that prominent politicians this year campaigned on making college free in a country full of people dealing with college debt. What do you say to someone critical of that?
Clements: I would point you to the Watt Family Innovation Center, which I would argue is one of the best academic facilities in the country. I’m equally as proud of our new Zucker Family Graduate Education Center in North Charleston -- off-the-charts incredible. So we want the best possible facilities. What coach Swinney wants is an environment where his team will bond and spend time together in a safe environment. Again, it’s private money.
Q: You just opened a newly renovated Littlejohn Coliseum but the basketball team hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since '11. How important is it that Clemson gets back soon?
Clements: First, I’m a big fan of (head coach) Brad Brownell. I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s a great coach. This is my fourth basketball season here and this is the deepest, strongest team we’ve had. I’m excited about our team. The coliseum looks magnificent. I think we have a really good future.
