South Carolina’s inspector general found no wrongdoing in Clemson University’s interactions with the developer of a massive new Upstate subdivision. (File photo courtesy of Clemson University)
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s inspector general found no wrongdoing in Clemson University’s interactions with the developer of a massive new subdivision proposed in Oconee County. However, colleges could do more to prevent future conflict of interest concerns, he found.
Clemson became entangled in the controversy surrounding a 600-acre housing development as then-President Jim Clements and former Gov. Nikki Haley, a Clemson board member, also sat on the board of the publicly traded homebuilding company believed to be behind the proposed neighborhood.
State Inspector General Brian Lamkin looked into the matter at the behest of Senate President Thomas Alexander, who represents Oconee County.
Alexander, in a statement, said he asked for the inspection “to ensure full transparency and accountability.” House Speaker Murrell Smith also backed the request.
In a report published Thursday, Lamkin said he did not find any violations of state law or university policy, that the developers were the ones to initiate contact with the school and that all interactions between university staff and the developers were above board.
Lamkin also found Clements followed all university policies and conditions of his employment contract by disclosing his board membership to the head of Clemson’s governing board and including it in annual state ethics filings.
College presidents on corporate boards can draw schools into controversy. It happened at Clemson.
Before his retirement at the end of 2025, Clements held the distinction of being the only South Carolina public college president to sit on a corporate board. He actually sat on two: the board of United Homes Group, formerly Great Southern Homes — since 2022 — and Greenville-based United Community Banks — since 2020.
Combined, those jobs netted Clements as much as $484,000 in 2023 (the most in one year), largely in stock options, according to filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
That was on top of his Clemson salary of up to $1.5 million annually in total compensation through 2031.
Lamkin suggested that Clemson could do more to improve transparency and public confidence in its future presidential contracts.
By only requiring the president to notify the university board chair, either in writing or verbally, of any outside board memberships, he said there is no certainty all board members were knowledgeable of the disclosure.
Lamkin recommended changing that policy to include annual written notice to everyone on the school’s board of trustees.
“Clemson remains committed to transparency, continuous improvement and upholding the highest standards of integrity and will carefully review the recommendation outlined in the report to implement appropriate measures that enhance operations moving forward,” reads a statement from the school following the report’s release.
In a joint statement, Alexander and Rep. Adam Duncan, R-Seneca, said they agreed with the inspector general’s recommendations and want to see all state colleges adopt similar measures.
“We believe those recommendations are sound public policy for all institutions of higher education, and we intend to introduce legislation immediately to implement them statewide,” the statement read.
Clemson is currently searching for its next president and a previous statement from the school to the SC Daily Gazette said the college board was “conducting a thorough review of leadership expectations and governance practices. This review includes evaluating policies related to service on corporate boards.”
Both the college and United Homes Group have maintained the homebuilder did not benefit from the connection to the university or used it to put pressure on the county to approve development plans.
Developers of the project approached Oconee County leaders about their proposal in 2024.
Though developers never submitted an official application with the county, an early marketing plan called for 5,200 housing units — a number that was later reduced to 3,200 units. It also included a satellite Clemson campus on the property, located about 5 miles northeast of the school, near Newry Mill.
The developers also were in contact with the college’s senior management team in 2023 and 2024, even flying Clemson staff on a company plane to tour a similar development near Purdue University in Indiana.
Messages from the developers came from an email addresses associated with United Homes Group. Though Clemson, in a December 2025 letter to Oconee County Council, stated United Homes was not the developer. Instead, the developer was a different, separate company operated by Michael Neiri, the chairman of United Homes and a Clemson alumnus.
Clemson staff last met with the developers in November 2024.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
