Nikki Haley gets lifetime post on Clemson Board of Trustees

Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been named to the Clemson University Board of Trustees. 

Haley, who served as South Carolina governor before becoming former President Trump’s envoy to the U.N., will replace retiring member David Wilkins. It’s one of seven lifetime appointments on the 13-member board. 

“Ambassador Haley’s love of country, leadership skills, commitment to education, and passion for Clemson University will serve the Board well. She will be a tireless advocate for the University and all of its constituents,” Kim Wilkerson, the board’s chair, said.

Haley, who graduated from Clemson in 1994 with a degree in accounting, is part of the crowded field of potential contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Earlier this year, she launched a political action committee called Stand for America PAC in an effort to boost GOP candidates ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. She’s also undertaken a steady travel schedule that has seen her stop in key early-voting states like Iowa. 

Haley was recently named, along with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as an adviser to an effort to diversify the Republican Party. 

While Haley’s schedule and activities look like those of a would-be presidential contender, her future in the race is uncertain. For one, she irked Trump and his allies earlier this year when she delivered a forceful condemnation of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.  

What’s more, Trump has repeatedly floated mounting another White House run, and Haley has said she would not challenge him if he does so.