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by JENN WOOD
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Less than a week after internal emails obtained through the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exposed coordinated messaging between Clemson University, a politically connected developer and a crisis public-relations firm, the university issued a new campus-wide communication to faculty and staff directing them to a newly launched “Newry Project” landing page — a move Clemson said was intended to “strengthen confidence.”
Critics say the pushback has had the opposite effect.
In a campus-wide email sent January 2, 2026, Clemson Board of Trustees chair Kim Wilkerson directed employees to a newly launched “Newry Project” landing page – and encouraged them to review a timeline outlining the university’s involvement in the now-abandoned development in Oconee County.
The message comes amid intensifying scrutiny of Clemson’s proximity to the Newry Mill development — a proposed 5,200-home project tied to United Homes Group (UHG), a company whose chairman and founder, Michael Nieri, is one of the university’s largest donors and (until recently) was a business partner with the university’s recently retired president and most visible trustee.
As FITSNews previously reported, scrutiny of Clemson’s connections to this deal have been driven in large part by public records obtained by Matthew Durham, chairman of Oconee County Council. Durham’s FOIA requests have exposed extensive internal discussions, site visits, and coordinated messaging regarding the project — all of which has run counter to Clemson’s repeated public denials of any involvement in the deal.
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A TIMELINE UNDER FIRE
In his latest Facebook post responding to Clemson’s attempted spin doctoring, Durham zeroed in on what he described as a fundamental flaw in the university’s newly published timeline.
According to Clemson’s landing page, the “research park was part of the Newry Development project affiliated with developer East Shore South, LLC,” and the university was first contacted about the project in November 2023.
“That claim does not align with the public record,” Durham wrote.
Business filings with the South Carolina Secretary of State show East Shore South, LLC was not incorporated until March 14, 2024 — months after Clemson now says it was contacted.
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More importantly, Durham noted, Clemson’s own internal emails — released under FOIA — contradict the narrative being circulated to employees.
In a January 2, 2024 email, Angie Leidinger, Clemson’s senior vice president for external affairs and senior advisor to the board of trustees, explicitly identified the developer Clemson was dealing with.
“Before the holidays, I was asked to participate on a call with the principals of Great Southern Homes (aka Michael Nieri) regarding a future development they intend to pursue within close proximity to the University,” Leidinger wrote.
That same email addressed the involvement of then-president James P. Clements, who at the time sat on UHG’s corporate board.
“Because the President sits on the Board of Great Southern Homes’ parent company, he has asked not to be involved, however, (he) does have an awareness of the opportunity,” Leidinger added.
Those statements — written by Clemson leadership, not outside critics — directly undermine the university’s current assertion that it was first contacted by an entity that did not yet legally exist.
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EMAILS DEBUNK CLEMSON SPIN
Durham also pointed to a second internal email — dated January 2, 2024 — that further complicates Clemson’s timeline.
In a response to Leidinger, Laura Stoner, Clemson’s vice president for real estate strategy, wrote that she had met with Mark Hart — UHG’s vice president of land development — in mid-October 2023, not November.
“I met with one of Michael’s employees, Mark Hart, in mid-October to discuss their property,” Stoner wrote.
That timeline matters…
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As FITSNews has documented, Clemson has repeatedly shifted its public explanations as new records have emerged — first denying knowledge of the project, then acknowledging knowledge while denying involvement, later denying involvement in the housing component, and finally claiming the project was never a United Homes Group development at all.
Yet Clemson’s internal correspondence consistently referred to the proposal as “Clemson West,” identified UHG and Great Southern Homes principals as the developers, and documented sustained engagement by senior university officials.
“These are Clemson’s words, not mine,” Durham wrote. “The University does not explain these discrepancies.”
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A CONFIDENCE PROBLEM OF CLEMSON’S OWN MAKING
In her email to employees, Wilkerson framed the new landing page as part of an effort to provide clarity and allow the university to “move forward with confidence,” while urging faculty and staff to focus on the upcoming presidential search.
But Durham argued confidence cannot be restored without reconciling Clemson’s public messaging with its internal records and publicly available filings.
“Until Clemson reconciles its public statements with its own internal records and public filings, confidence is not strengthened,” he wrote. “Can someone make this make sense?”
Durham’s frustration echoed a broader concern raised repeatedly in FITSNews’ ongoing coverage: that Clemson’s response to the Newry controversy has increasingly focused on message control rather than transparency — a strategy underscored by FOIA emails revealing coordination with a high-dollar public-relations firm during the height of the controversy.
Observers are also wondering why Clemson is continuing to defend its position so aggressively – repeatedly breathing new life into a story that might have otherwise died down at this point.
As additional FOIA records continue to be reviewed and released, Durham has said more disclosures are coming.
For now, Clemson’s latest attempt to put the Newry controversy to rest has instead reopened old questions — about timelines, transparency, and whether the university’s evolving narrative can withstand its own paper trail.
FITSNews will continue to follow developments in this unfolding story.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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1 comment
They don’t seem to be able too tell the truth even after their “designated fall guy” has stepped down. Time to fire the whole board and replace it with a constitutionally appointed one. Once that’s done, everyone associated with this debacle needs to be escorted of campus with their belongings in a cardboard box.