Aiken dentist elected to Clemson board of trustees
May 19, 2010
CLEMSON, SC – May 19, 2010 – Aiken dentist Ronald D. “Ronnie” Lee was elected Wednesday to Clemson University’s board of trustees in a vote by the South Carolina General Assembly.
The term for this seat, vacated when William C. Smith Jr. was named a life trustee by the Clemson board in February, will expire in 2012. Lee then will be eligible to run for a full four-year term.
A Clemson alumnus and member of the university’s Board of Visitors, Lee has expressed his support for Clemson’s drive to become a top-20 public university in the U.S.News & World Report annual rankings.
“I have a great deal of respect for Clemson’s current trustees,” Lee said. “I am humbled and honored to serve with them.“
“We are delighted to have Ronnie Lee join the leadership of Clemson University,” said David Wilkins, chairman of the board. “Clemson benefits from the guidance of individuals who are dedicated to this university and passionate about higher education in South Carolina.”
Lee graduated from Clemson in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology. He earned a Master of Science in environmental science and engineering from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill before graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1988 with a Doctor of Medical Dentistry degree.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of General Dentistry and a member of the South Carolina and American Dental Associations. At MUSC, he was honored with the Academy of General Dentistry Award, the Pierre Fauchard Award and the Thomas Hinman Scholarship Award.
Lee and his wife, Debbie, a 1976 Clemson graduate, have three children, Meredith Lee (Clemson ’01, USC Law ’04), Allison Lee Nelson (USC ’04, MUSC ’06) and Ryan Lee, a 2009 Clemson alumnus who will enter MUSC in the fall.
In an April 14 election, the General Assembly re-elected three current members of the board of trustees to new four-year terms to begin July 1.
Trustees Patricia H. McAbee and Joseph D. Swann of Greenville and John N. Nicky McCarter Jr. of Columbia will serve continuously through 2014.
Clemson University is governed by a 13-member board, including six elected by the state Legislature and seven self-perpetuating life members, as provided by the will of Thomas G. Clemson, whose bequest to the state led to the institution’s founding.
