Limestone University will hold its final graduation ceremony Saturday, closing the doors to the 180-year-old college in Gaffney.
On Tuesday, the university’s Board of Trustees voted to close Limestone amid insurmountable financial pressures.
“Despite exhaustive efforts to secure the funding necessary to continue our operations, we have come to the difficult conclusion that Limestone University has not been able to secure the necessary funding to sustain its operations,” said Randall Richardson, chairman of Limestone’s Board of Trustees.
On April 16, the board announced that the university was in a $30 million budget shortfall and needed to raise at least $6 million to keep the doors open. Grassroots efforts to save the school began almost immediately.
On April 22, the board announced that it might have found the resources to stay open.
But despite raising $2.143 million from almost 200 donors and supporters, the financial weight of increasing costs and declining enrollment at Limestone proved too much.
“Words cannot fully express the sorrow we feel in having to share this news,” said Dr. Nathan Copeland, President of Limestone University. “Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters fought tirelessly to save this historic institution. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, we are forever grateful for the passion, loyalty, and prayers of our Saints family.”
Limestone College was South Carolina’s first all-female college, founded in 1845 as a non-denominational Christian college. The school opened to men by the early 1900s and prided itself on being an institution for nontraditional students.
Limestone College became Limestone University in 2020. It is the only four-year college in Cherokee County.
Limestone also became a destination for student athletes. About 700 of the university’s approximately 1,700 students played a sport. Many received full or partial scholarships.
News that the university was considering transitioning to all-online classes or closing entirely hit many athletes hard, sending them scrambling for other schools that would take athletic scholarship transfers next year – when scholarship moneys had largely already been awarded.
“All of us are very scared,” said Emma Greenier, a volleyball player and scholarship recipient at Limestone. “We have no idea what to do.”
Annabelle Dougherty, who played soccer, with the help of a scholarship, said that beyond sports, having to leave Limestone before she could graduate – and having to say goodbye to friends from around the world – is, simply, sad.
“We made friends here,” Dougherty said. “Some of my best friends are from Spain, and other continents, from [playing] soccer. A lot of international kids. You just don’t know how you’re going to say goodbye, or when you’re going to see them again.”
Limestone will hold its final commencement ceremonies at Fullerton Auditorium on Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
