Director of Historic Preservation - Charleston, SC

Clemson University:
College of Architecture, Art and Construction:
School of Architecture

CU DESIGN CNTR - CIGAR FACTORY

Sep 23, 2026

Clemson University College of Architecture, Art and Construction seeks a tenured Associate or Full Professor, or Professor of Practice, in Historic Preservation to serve as the Program Director of the Charleston-based Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. The Director will be jointly appointed between the Richard

A. McMahan School of Architecture and the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development. Applicants may include a tenured faculty member, Professor of Practice, or seasoned professional from related disciplines such as architecture, construction, landscape architecture, or cultural heritage fields. The Associate or Full Professor/Professor of Practice & Program Director appointment is assigned to the Clemson Design Center in Charleston, South Carolina, with an anticipated start date of August 15, 2027.

Candidates who are already tenured at another R1 university will be considered for tenure and a rank commensurate with their current rank. About the Program, School, College, and University Clemson's Graduate Program in Historic Preservation is based at the Clemson Design Center, housed in Charleston's historic Cigar Factory, and is jointly administered by the Richard

A. McMahan School of Architecture and the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development. The Design Center places students and faculty inside one of the nation's most significant historic cities, with direct access to its buildings, sites, and preservation community. The School itself, part of the College of Architecture, Art and Construction, offers degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, and City and Regional Planning to more than 500 students, supported by more than 70 faculty and staff, and participates in the College's interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Design and the Built Environment.

In 2025, the School was renamed in recognition of a transformative gift from the late Richard "Dick" McMahan '54, HD '06, and his wife, the late Mary "Dinky" McMahan. The newly formed College of Architecture, Art and Construction (CAAC) brings together the Richard

A. McMahan School of Architecture, the Department of Art and the Nieri Department of Construction, Development and Planning in an interdisciplinary approach to creative practice, design, and construction. The CAAC offers five undergraduate majors, ten graduate programs and nine centers and institutes, empowering more than 900 undergraduate and 300 graduate students to transform, enhance and sustain the built environment through a blend of practical knowledge and hands-on experiential learning.

From the outdoor Experiential Learning Yard to the Fluid Campus locations in Genoa, Italy;
Barcelona, Spain; and Charleston, South Carolina, the CAAC connects classroom learning with real-world opportunities, preparing students to excel in their fields and turn their education into lifelong success. Clemson University is a Carnegie R1 research university, a classification reaffirmed in 2025, enrolling more than 29,500 students with an endowment exceeding $1.2 billion and $334 million in research and development expenditures in the most recent fiscal year.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Clemson 36th among public universities nationally (2026);
Forbes ranks it 33rd nationally among public colleges and first in South Carolina. Founded in 1889 as South Carolina's land grant institution, Clemson is executing Clemson Elevate, a strategic plan built on three goals: delivering the nation's number one student experience, doubling research expenditures by 2035, and transforming lives across South Carolina and beyond.

• Applications received by December 1, 2026 will receive full consideration
• Anticipated start date of August 15, 2027

The successful candidate will hold at least a Master's degree in historic preservation, architecture, architectural engineering or a closely related discipline, with a Ph.D. preferred. Candidates should demonstrate a distinguished record of national or international leadership and expertise in historic preservation, supported by a robust portfolio of professional projects and scholarly publications equivalent to the expectations of a tenured Associate Professor at Clemson…