This series contains the records of the Board of Trustees of Clemson University. The records are found in files, volumes, publications and microfilm. Included in this series is information which may be categorized as follows: Athletics, Biographical Files, Board Activities, Board Materials, Board of Visitiors, Commission on Higher Education, Committees, Correspondence, Executive Secretary, and President. The records span the years of 1888-1991.

The athletic subseries consists of files pertaining to the work the Board did involving the athletics of the university, particularly football. The files span the years 1954-2011, with the bulk being from 1991-2010.

The biographical files consist of information on individual trustees assembled by J.M. Napier, a county agent with the Cooperative Extension Service, and Arthur Buist Bryan, a professor of English. Both were asked by President Robert F. Poole to write biographical sketches of members of the Board of Trustees and a historical statement of activities of activities of the Board since the founding of the institution. Although the material was collected, a formal history was never written. The information consists of correspondence between a particular trustee (or a family member, if the trustee was deceased) and Napier and Bryan. Many folders contain biographical sketches taken from Who's Who in South Carolina and other reference works.

The board activities subseries contains files pertaining to the activities that gathered the board together. These include meetings, teleconferences, retreats, and ceremonies. The subseries spans the years 1937-2011, with the bulk being from 1992-2011.

The board materials subseries contains material created by the board through its activities. Examples of this are manuals, by-laws, receipts, board notebooks, minutes, reports, agendas, and budgets. The subseries spans the years 1937-2013, with the bulk from 1979-2012.

The board of visitors subseries contains files pertaining to the board of visitors, an advocacy board with members nominated by the trustees to serve for three year terms. The subseries spans from 1976-2007, with the bulk from 1984-1992.

The commision on higher education subseries contains material focused on the board's work with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, an organization focused on promoting access, affordability, and excellence within the state system of higher education. The subseries spans from 1997-2004, with the bulk from 1997-2000.

The information from standing committees takes the form of correspondence, reports and minutes in loose-leaf and bound formats. Minutes for the committees span the years 1890-2012. Although committee reports were not kept for all committees for all years, summaries of activities of most committees are frequently found in the Minutes and in the Report of the President.

Correpondence files span 1890-2001. General correspondence is arranged chronologicallty, while personal correspondence is arranged by last name of the trustee. The general files cover routine board matters involved in the daily operation of the institution and meetings of the Board. Included, for example, are bid on the construction of buildings, costs of cadet uniforms, requests for salary increases and resignations. The files of the members cover various issues on which they corresponded.

The executive secretary subseries covers files pertaining to the work of the many different executive secretaries of the board, in particular Thornton Kirby. The subseries spans from 1889-2008, with the bulk from 1993-2007.

The president subseries contains files pertaining to the board's work with the president of the university. The subseries spans from 1903-2007, with the bulk from 2000-2005.