Taxpayers to fund $286K of Clemson chief’s salary

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A state board has approved paying $286,000 toward the salary of Clemson University’s incoming president.

Clemson announced last month that Jim Clements will take the job in January. The board agreed to match Clements’ salary of $775,000 at his current job as president of the University of West Virginia.

Tuesday’s vote by the Agency Head Salary Commission means taxpayers will fund about a third of that. Private funds will provide the rest.

Clements will be the state’s highest-paid university chief.

Clemson’s retiring president, Jim Barker, makes about $470,000. Of that, nearly $246,000 — or about half — comes from taxpayers.

The commission that sets the pay for state agency heads also approved Tuesday a $137,000 salary for Richard Gough, incoming president of the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort.