Clemson pitches tuition mitigation, national security institute and capital projects to House subcommittee

Clemson University outlined a multi‑year set of priorities on day three of the House Ways and Means Higher Education Subcommittee's budget hearings, asking lawmakers to continue tuition mitigation and to fund research, safety and capital projects critical to the university's growth.

Interim President Dr. Bob Jones told the panel that Clemson has seen dramatic demand—"We had over 65,000 applications, an increase of 225%"—and cited institutional performance measures, including a freshman retention rate of 94.1% and six‑year graduation rate of 87.5%. Jones credited state tuition mitigation for allowing Clemson to freeze in‑state tuition and said the university remains committed to access and affordability.

Rick Pattillo, Clemson's senior vice president for finance and operations and chief financial officer, walked the committee through the FY27 request. He said tuition mitigation remains the university's top recurring priority and described a methodology built on HEPI and an across‑the‑board 1% cost of living adjustment. Pattillo then laid out targeted requests: a $20 million recurring allocation for a Clemson University National Security Institute, a $5 million recurring Energy Center, recurring public‑safety funding to add roughly 15 officers, and onetime funds for communications and two additional K‑9 units.

"Our next priority is for $20,000,000 of recurring funding for the Clemson University National Security Institute," Pattillo told lawmakers, describing a proposed split that would direct roughly $9.5 million to defense research staff, $3 million to industry partnerships and workforce development, and $5 million for cybersecurity infrastructure and compliance to support federally funded defense work.

On the capital side, Clemson requested funding for a next‑generation computing complex (Pattillo cited a current study estimating $177 million and 165,000 square feet), science laboratory construction to consolidate life‑science programs (study estimate about $141 million), and expansion of the Clemson Center for Human Genetics. Jones also reported that the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association and "621 complete applications have been received for just 80 available seats," with 60 seats reserved for South Carolina residents.

In responses to committee questions, university leaders said they collaborate with the Commission on Higher Education on program approvals and will follow up with requested Pell and post‑graduation employment data. Representative Gilda Cobb Hunter raised concerns about institutional consolidation of programs and asked whether Clemson would coordinate with nearby institutions—including USC Aiken and Savannah River National Laboratory partners—on cybersecurity and energy initiatives; Clemson said it would explore collaboration. Cobb Hunter also pressed Clemson about its response to the Charlie Kirk incident on campus and potential effects on recruitment; Jones said the university followed its faculty manual process and had not seen a large shift in faculty retention to date.

Clemson's finance team estimated roughly $1 billion in direct institutional debt (excluding pension liabilities) and said most supplemental compensation historically has been paid from foundation or private dollars rather than direct state funds.

The subcommittee did not take formal votes. Clemson's delegation was dismissed after the presentation and Q&A, and the panel called its next presenter.