Position Specification
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
Director of Financial Aid
Institutional Background
One of the country’s most selective public research universities, Clemson
University serves a uniquely driven and highly accomplished student body.
Clemson is a science- and engineering-oriented college dedicated to teaching, research and service.
Founded in 1889, we remain committed both to world-class research and a high quality of life. In fact, 92
percent of our seniors say they’d pick Clemson again if they had it to do over.
Our beautiful college campus sits on 1,400 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the
shores of Hartwell Lake. But we also have research facilities and economic development hubs throughout
the state of South Carolina — in Greenville, Greenwood, Columbia and Charleston.
The research, outreach and entrepreneurial projects led by our faculty and students are driving economic
development and improving quality of life in South Carolina and beyond. A recent study determined that
Clemson contributes $1.83 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Clemson Agricultural College formally opened as an all-male military school in July 1893 with an
enrollment of 446. It remained this way until 1955 when the change was made to “civilian” status for
students, and Clemson became a coeducational institution. In 1964, the college was renamed Clemson
University as the state legislature formally recognized the school’s expanded academic offerings and
research pursuits.
More than a century after its opening, the university provides diverse learning, research facilities and
educational opportunities not only for the people of the state — as Thomas Clemson dreamed — but for
thousands of young men and women throughout the country and the world.
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Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to
Clemson University. The population of the city was 13,905 at the 2010 census.
The university is the cultural center of the city,
even though a small two-block downtown is
directly to the north of the campus. The
community was originally named Calhoun and
was renamed Clemson in 1943.
Although the university provides housing for
students, many students live off campus in a wide
variety of apartment complexes. Save for the
downtown, sidewalks are largely absent, but
some streets have bike paths. U.S. Route 123, on
the northern end of the city, exhibits typical
suburban-style shopping center developments.
The city’s comprehensive plan has a historic
preservation component that will likely become
more important as 1950s and ’60s buildings acquire historic status. The Clemson (train) Depot, built in
1893, was rehabilitated in 2001 and now houses the local chamber of commerce. The city recently added
recreational facilities and paths along Lake Hartwell, including a new boardwalk.
For more information, visit Clemson Chamber of Commerce: http://www.clemsonareachamber.org/.
2020 Forward Strategic Plan
Clemson University has received national recognition for its institutional commitment to planning,
assessment and achievement. With a vision to be a top-20 public university and an academic Road Map
adopted in 2001, the Clemson administration used quarterly “report cards” to the board of trustees to
chart progress during the decade that followed. Student applications rose 42 percent. Graduation and
sophomore retention rates rose. Class size and the student-to-faculty ratio fell. Research support doubled.
And Clemson moved up the U.S. News & World Report rankings to become number 20 among national
public universities. After dealing effectively with state funding cuts during the Great Recession to become
a leaner, more efficient and more focused institution, a new Clemson 2020 strategic plan was adopted in
2011. It has goals to provide talent for the new economy; to drive innovation, economic development and
job creation; and to serve the public good by focusing on the great challenges of the 21st century.
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During the October 2015 board of trustees meeting, President Clements provided an update on the 2020
Forward strategic plan and the administration presented the plan for college reorganization. The strategic
plan was well-received, and official approval for reorganization was given.
The new colleges are:
 College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
 College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities
 College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
 College of Business
 College of Education (including the Eugene T. Moore School of Education)
 College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
 College of Science
Clemson is in the process of developing its next strategic plan, which will be known as Clemson Forward
and will guide the university faculty, staff and students well into the middle of the 21st century. To read
the strategic plan, go to http://www.clemson.edu/forward/strategic-plan/.
A significant goal of Clemson’s 2020 Road Map was achieved in October 2014, when U.S.
News & World Report ranked Clemson a Top 20 Public University as part of its annual
guide to “America’s Best Colleges.” This is an especially impressive achievement in light of
precipitous declines in state funding the past several years. Clemson reached this goal through its
dynamic leadership, excellent faculty and staff, a strong central focus on undergraduate learning, and an
internal “divest to invest” strategy that prioritized undergraduate learning and made small but highly
strategic investments in attracting, retaining and rewarding talent.
A proud tradition | Clemson’s Military Heritage
Clemson University has a proud tradition of military excellence dating from its founding as a military
school. Beginning with the first graduating class of 1896, more than 10,000 Clemson men and women
have served in the armed forces. Many have been highly decorated for their service and sacrifices. Some
received the nation’s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for acts of heroism in combat.
Several were captured and held as prisoners of war. And 484 alumni have made the ultimate sacrifice in
service to their country.
Military Heritage Plaza
The Military Heritage Plaza was created to honor the university’s history as a military institution and to
honor Clemson alumni who have served the United States in times of war. It sits between Memorial
Chapel and Bowman Field, which served as Clemson’s earliest military drill complex. The 18 steps in the
memorial are inscribed with an ideal instilled in the Clemson cadet — discipline, teamwork, confidence,
humility, equality, courage, respect, responsibility, perseverance, honor, pride, esprit de corps,
leadership, integrity, success, loyalty, life and duty. The memorial was created through the generosity of
the classes of ’50, ’51, ’52 and ’53.
Scroll of Honor and Memorial Park
The Clemson Corps maintains the Scroll of Honor to honor those Clemson alumni who died in the line of
duty. The Scroll of Honor Memorial is across from Memorial Stadium, which itself was named in 1940 to
honor those killed during military service. As an extension of the scroll, the adjoining Memorial Park pays
tribute to the service of thousands of Clemson alumni and friends who have served the state and nation in
fields ranging from agriculture to the military.
Clemson ROTC
Clemson has maintained a strong military tradition through the years, and the university’s ROTC
programs are some of the best in the country.
 Air Force ROTC
 Army ROTC
 Pershing Rifles
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Rankings and Brags
Clemson has been catching the world’s attention with impressive rankings that put the university among
the nation’s elite. Here are just a few of the reasons why Clemson is the number 1 national public
university in South Carolina.
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7th – DesignIntelligence magazine has again named Clemson’s graduate architecture programs in
the nation’s top 10 among accredited public institutions; it is ranked number 18 overall
nationally.
21st – Ranking among top public national universities that U.S. News & World Report gave
Clemson for 2016.
11 – Clemson is one of only 11 public colleges and universities identified as making writing across
all disciplines a priority per U.S. News & World Report, 2015.
11 – Number of Clemson seniors and graduate students who won the prestigious National Science
Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2012.
10th – The rank of incoming freshman ACT scores among national public universities per U.S.
News & World Report, 2015.
92 – Percentage of seniors who would choose Clemson if they could start their college career over
again.
7th – Ranking in terms of students’ return on investment, as rated by SmartMoney in 2012.
1 – Ranking of Clemson’s career services program, according to the 2016 Princeton Review.
Leadership
James P. Clements, Ph.D., President
James P. Clements became Clemson University’s 15th president on December
31, 2013. He is also a professor in the School of Computing, College of
Engineering and Science at Clemson. Under his leadership, Clemson has
reached several milestones — the largest campus development initiative in
university history, a record number of student applications with the strongest
academic profile ever; and a record-breaking year in fundraising, with more
than $250 million raised in private gifts since Clements joined the university.
Clements is a nationally recognized leader in higher education who recently
served as chair of the board of directors for the Association of Public and
Land-Grant Universities, North America’s oldest higher education association.
Annually, APLU’s 235 member institutions enroll 4.7 million undergraduates
and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.1 million degrees and conduct $41
billion in university-based research. He also represents APLU as a member of
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the American Council on Education (ACE) board and serves on the executive committee of the APLU’s
Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity.
Clements is also chair of the ACE Commission on Leadership; co-chairs the U.S. Department of
Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE); serves on the
executive committee of the Business Higher Education Forum; and serves on the Council on
Competitiveness. He previously served on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Innovation Advisory Board,
where he was the only university president in the country to serve in that role.
He holds a B.S. in computer science and an M.S. and Ph.D. in operations analysis from the University of
Maryland Baltimore County, as well as an M.S. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. He
has published and/or presented more than 75 papers in the fields of computer science, higher education,
information technology, project management and strategic planning. He also served as principal
investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $15 million in research grants. Before he came to
Clemson, Clements served as the president of West Virginia University for nearly five years.
Prior to his service at WVU, Clements served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, vice
president for economic and community outreach, and the Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professor of
Information Technology at Towson University, the second largest university in the university system of
Maryland, where he was a four-time winner of the Faculty Member of the Year Award, given by Towson
students. He also led the Center for Applied Information Technology, which was a strategic,
entrepreneurial initiative for the university, chaired Towson’s Department of Computer and Information
Sciences, and was a consultant to numerous private-sector companies. His Successful Project
Management book is now in its sixth edition and is published in multiple languages and used in
numerous countries.
Robert H. Jones Jr., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Robert H. Jones Jr., formerly a professor of biology and dean of WVU’s
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, became Clemson’s first executive vice
president for academic affairs and provost, providing leadership for the
university’s undergraduate and graduate programs, academic support
programs, research and public service activities in 2014.
Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in forest management and master’s in
forestry from Clemson and his doctorate in forest ecology from the State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry,
Syracuse University. He has previously served as a department head and
professor at Virginia Tech and a faculty member at Auburn University.
Jones has published more than 60 refereed articles and was the principal investigator or co-principal
investigator on more than $4.6 million in externally funded research. At WVU, he serves on the
ADVANCE Internal Advisory Board, the Energy Council and as co-coordinator of the STEM Education
Mountain of Excellence Initiative. As an administrator, he has provided leadership in strategic planning,
administrative restructurings, accreditation reviews and development of assessment systems. During his
tenure as dean, students and faculty at the college have received more than 50 nationally competitive
awards, such as Fulbright, Goldwater, Truman and Udall scholarships, National Science Foundation
Career Awards and an American Academy of Arts and Sciences membership.
Chuck Knepfle, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management
Chuck Knepfle came to Clemson University as the director of financial aid
in August 2010 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he began
his career in higher education in 1992 as coordinator for computer
operations for the admissions office. In 1995, he was named assistant
director for computer operations. In 1996, he began his work in the
financial aid office at Miami as associate director for systems and
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operations. In 2006, he was named assistant provost in addition to his responsibilities as director of
student financial assistance.
Knepfle has a degree in systems analysis, an MBA in management from Miami University and is currently
pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership at Clemson. He serves on the executive board for the
National Direct Student Loan Coalition and is a peer reviewer for the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators.
Enrollment – Fall 2015
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Undergraduate students - 18,016
Graduate students - 4,682
Student/faculty ratio is 16:1
In-state tuition and fees - $13,882
Out-of-state tuition and fees - $32,800
Academics:
 80+ majors and 75+ minors
 110+ graduate degree programs
 5 colleges and the School of Education
 1.5 million items in the Clemson
Libraries
 More than 1,000 students studying
abroad every year
 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio
 Average SAT of 1246
Campus:
 Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains surrounded by a lake and its
own forest
 15 dining locations
 27 residence halls and on-campus
apartments
 400+ wi-fi spots
 48 bells ringing in the Clemson Carillon
Recreation & Extracurriculars:
 400+ student clubs and organizations
 50+ club sports
 6 student-run media organizations
 17 intramural sports
 275,000-square-foot Fike Recreation Center
 18 holes of golf
Brags:
 2 Rhodes Scholar finalists
 11 NSF Graduate Research Fellows
 4 Fulbright Scholars
 91% freshman retention rate
 One of the nation’s top 100 best investments, according to Kiplinger
 Ranked 7th in return on investment by SmartMoney
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An Overview of the Division of Enrollment Management
Chuck Knepfle was named associate vice president for enrollment management during the summer of
2015. The departments comprising the enrollment management division at Clemson University include:
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Admissions
Student Financial Aid
Records and Registration
Residency
History of the Director of Financial Aid Position
Chuck Knepfle held the position as director of financial aid for five years prior to being promoted to
associate vice president for enrollment management. A search for a new director was conducted during
the fall of 2015 and did not result in a hire.
Responsibilities of the Position
Reporting to the associate vice president for enrollment management, the director of financial aid is
responsible for the overall management of the Office of Student Financial Aid, including but not limited to
funds management, NCAA and ACC athletic compliance, policy analysis/planning, scholarship
administration, South Carolina state residency determination, university compliance oversight, and
processing operations. He or she will direct administration of, and ensure compliance with, all federal,
state and university aid programs in a manner consistent with the university’s mission as well as academic
and diversity plans, and provide staff development and supervision. In addition, the director will enhance
and cultivate an environment that promotes a positive public relations image for Clemson University in
the eyes of prospective students, parents, contributors, the news media, the higher education community,
alumni and the general public. Serving as a member of the Enrollment Management Leadership team, the
director will oversee a staff of 25, manage an operational budget of $1.3 million and oversee annual
financial aid expenditures of $220 million. The director will be expected to be a strong leader who has a
deep understanding of the strategic benefit of financial aid, and who can move the office and the division
forward in some specific areas, including:
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Maintain Clemson’s ranking in the top 20;
Work toward the shared goal of increasing student diversity at Clemson; and
Work toward any institutional goals regarding the size of the freshman and transfers classes.
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Qualifications and Desired Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
A bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred) and significant documented experience in a senior
management position leading a successful financial aid program at a college or university are required.
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of success in the field of financial aid,
have promoted new and creative ideas, developed innovative new aid programs, have experience creating
or managing international student scholarships, possess a passion for student access and financial
education, and have evidence of prior administrative leadership, and a high energy level and drive. He or
she will display superior analytical budget management, statistical analysis, and supervisory skills, as well
as a collaborative and collegial interpersonal style. The ability to foster change and staff growth and
development are critical, as is a track record of excellent communication with co-workers, peers and
management.
Individual stakeholders indicated that, in addition to the minimum education and experiential
requirements for the director, the following characteristics are desired in candidates for this position:
 An individual who puts students first and understands the need to build relationships with
students and families;
 An excellent, confident public speaker, one who is able to present to the president, the board of
trustees, legislators, alumni, parents and students as needed;
 Has a working knowledge of Division I athletics rules and regulations;
 A team player who will reach out to, and collaborate with, other offices to assist in enrolling and
retaining students;
 An individual who understands data retrieval, analysis and reporting and is transparent with the
financial aid data;
 A strategic leader who will infuse a culture of compassion among the financial aid team;
 Knowledge of Ellucian Banner SIS is a plus;
 One who will reach out to other departments to strengthen existing relationships on behalf of
student service;
 An individual familiar with financial literacy programming and counseling;
 An individual who has been an active participant in state, regional and/or national financial aid
professional organizations;
 An innovative thinker who will propose new strategies to leverage institutional aid dollars;
 An individual who is adaptable and flexible; one who can manage shifts in academic programs
and enrollment goals;
 One who is proactive in preparing for changes in financial aid programs and is able to work across
departmental lines to implement necessary changes;
 A leader who is a relationship builder, but is also able to say “no” when needed and to deliver
unwelcome news to students and parents when needed;
 A manager with an open-door policy who welcomes staff and students;
 One who is “spirited,” and will embrace the Clemson University community as well as the greater
external community; and
 One who is knowledgeable and confident and will be comfortable reporting to a former director of
financial aid.
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Likely Opportunities, Priorities and Challenges of the Position
A new director will need to build trust and credibility among the team before moving forward. As an
integral member of the enrollment management team at Clemson University, the director of financial aid
may be challenged by an experienced staff, many of whom are loyal to the internal candidates from the
failed search conducted in the fall of 2015 and who describe themselves as both search- and changeweary. However, there is very strong support for this position from the associate vice president for
enrollment management and the provost and president.
Measures of Success for the Position
At an appropriate interval after joining Clemson University, the following items will initially define
success for the new director of financial aid:
 He or she will demonstrate a leadership style that is credible and collegial while being highly
effective;
 He or she will have reviewed organizational strengths and weaknesses and will have
demonstrated the ability to manage short-term change and long-term development for
the department;
 He or she will have collaborated with all institutional colleagues to create a long-range financial
aid plan that aligns with the university’s strategic plan objectives; and
 He or she will have reviewed staff and processes within the department to evaluate the level and
quality of services provided to students and academic departments to ensure that all students are
receiving quality services and communiqués from the Office of Financial Aid.
Benefits Overview
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Health Insurance
Dental Benefits
Vision Plan
Life Insurance
Long-Term Disability
Medical Spending Account
Retirement Plans
Tuition Benefits
Employee Assistance Plans
For more information:
http://www.clemson.edu/employment/ben
efits/
Application and Nomination
Applications, including a position-specific cover letter and resume, may be submitted online at
http://www.spelmanandjohnson.com/. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Kendra
Dane at [email protected].
Spelman Johnson
Director of Financial Aid – Clemson University
Kendra Dane, Search Associate
Visit the Clemson University website at www.clemson.edu
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Clemson University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate against any person or group on the
basis of age, color, disability, gender, pregnancy, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran
status or genetic information. Clemson University is building a culturally diverse faculty and staff
committed to working in a multicultural environment and encourages applications from minorities and
women.
Spelman Johnson has prepared this document based on personal interviews and information copied, compiled or quoted in part
from source documents obtained from our client institution, and as such the contents of this document are believed to be reliable.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and factual situations
govern, and the material presented here should be relied upon for informational purposes only.
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