Clemson University Libraries Dean Chris Cox has been elected to serve in leadership positions on two different state-level boards. He was named chair of the PASCAL Board of Directors and chair of the Upcountry History Museum Board of Directors for 2023-2024.
PASCAL stands for Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries and is a consortium of 56 college and university libraries across the state. It provides access to information resources and services to all students, faculty and staff in the South Carolina higher education community.
The Upcountry History Museum, located in Greenville, collects and preserves artifacts related to the history of the South Carolina Upcountry. The museum hosts exhibits and events that share the history, art, science and culture of the Upcountry and offers educational resources for teachers and schools.
“As a public, land-grant university, serving the state is part of our mission at Clemson, so I am happy to do my part to serve my colleagues in libraries across South Carolina as chair of PASCAL,” Cox said. “I am also excited to be more involved with the Upcountry History Museum, since Clemson is an important part of the history of this area. Libraries and museums often work hand-in-hand in preserving and interpreting history.”
Cox is also the immediate past president of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, one of the largest regional research library consortia in the country.
Cox has served at Clemson since 2018. Prior to coming to Clemson, he served as dean of library services at the University of Northern Iowa. He was previously dean of libraries at Western Washington University and served as assistant director of libraries at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Susquehanna University, a master’s in English from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Library and Information Science at the State University of New York at Albany. He is currently working towards earning his Ph.D. in educational leadership from Clemson.