A 180-year-old private South Carolina university is closing after a $6M fundraising drive fails

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A 180-year-old backstage Christian assemblage successful South Carolina is closing astatine the extremity of the semester aft failing to rise $6 cardinal to support its doors open.

Limestone University officials said that aft 2 weeks of furious fundraising and different actions, they collected conscionable a small implicit $2 cardinal and had nary prime but to adjacent its field successful Gaffney and its online programs.

“Our Limestone tone volition endure done the lives of our students and alumni who transportation it guardant into the world,” said Randall Richardson, seat of Limestone University's trustees. “Though our doors whitethorn close, the interaction of Limestone University volition unrecorded on.”

The assemblage stunned its students, alumni and assemblage erstwhile it announced earlier successful April without informing that it was successful specified atrocious fiscal signifier that without an contiguous infusion of $6 cardinal it would person to close.

More than 200 radical gave a full of astir $2.1 million, but it was not enough. The assemblage said the donations volition beryllium returned.

South Carolina lawmakers decided not to measurement successful due to the fact that Limestone University is simply a backstage institution.

Private colleges and universities similar Limestone person been closing astatine a complaint of astir 2 per month, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

More colleges astir the state person been closing arsenic they header with steep declines successful enrollment, a effect of some changing demographics and the effects of the pandemic.

Tens of thousands of students abruptly find their assemblage careers successful limbo and a fig of them ne'er instrumentality to school. Limestone University promised to assistance each its students transportation to different schools.

The closure volition besides permission respective 100 professors and enactment unit without jobs successful Gaffney, a metropolis of astir 12,500 radical connected Interstate 85 betwixt Charlotte. North Carolina, and Spartanburg.

About 50 students gathered extracurricular wherever trustees met Tuesday nighttime and hugged arsenic they got the email announcing the assemblage was closing.

Daniel Deneen Jr. of Myrtle Beach played shot for Limestone and was jarred that helium had to alteration his plans for his education.

“When we recovered retired the schoolhouse had $30 cardinal successful debt, we each wondered however they were going to get retired of it. The past 2 weeks person been precise stressful with finals coming up this week.,” Deneen told The Post and Courier.

Limestone University, founded successful 1845, volition clasp its last commencement Saturday.

Limestone isn't the lone assemblage successful the portion to denote it is closing this month.

St. Andrews University astir 150 miles distant successful Laurinburg, North Carolina, volition adjacent connected Sunday aft the outpouring semester. The schoolhouse is simply a subdivision field of Webber International University.