CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson University and its trustees do not want to become the state's newest private school, President James Barker says.

Barker responded publicly Wednesday to Gov. Mark Sanford's proposal to allow some state colleges and universities to go private and free up state funding for other uses. Sanford used Clemson as an example several times during his speech earlier this month.

"Is a private Clemson University in South Carolina's best interest?" Barker asked. "The response to this question from every corner of this campus and every corner of this state is a definite no."

Barker said Clemson officials wanted to keep the school affordable, and feared that tuition would increase too steeply if it pursued privatization.

"There has not been careful, thoughtful deliberation, and there is no indication that such a move would be in Clemson's or South Carolina's best interest," Barker said.

Clemson's trustees also are unanimously against going private, Barker said.

If Clemson was a private school, its new International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville wouldn't exist and Clemson's Extension Service, which dealt with 800,000 residents last year wouldn't be around, Barker said.

Sanford has proposed the commission that oversees the state's universities should have the power to eliminate programs duplicated at several schools and suggested that any four-year school that didn't want to be a part of the plan could go private.

The governor said Clemson was particularly resistant to his call to revamp the states 33-school higher education system.

Sanford spokesman Will Folks said Wednesday that the privatization offer was a tactical move designed to foster discussion on how best to target higher education resources.

"This administration will continue to throw out new ideas," Folks said. "Some folks will agree with them and other won't. The fact that were having a conversation on the direction of the state is critical."

During his speech Wednesday at Clemson's Brooks Center, Barker said he is concerned that Clemson is becoming a private university "by default," as state funding dwindles. Currently only a quarter of Clemson's budget - about $85 million - comes from the state.

Barker said he was surprised when the governor called him the day before unveiling his proposal at The Citadel and laid out his plan.

Several professors listening to Barker said they supported his desire to stay a state-supported school.

Going private "hasn't been well thought out. It's certainly not a substitute for the full support of the state," said Matthew Saltzman, an associate professor of mathematical sciences.