Limestone University held its final commencement ceremonies on a gray, gusty Saturday, on the same week that the university’s Board of trustees voted to close the 179-year-old school due to deep financial pressures.
While conversations outside Fullerton Auditorium briefly veered into what will become of the historic Limestone campus – the grounds have 10 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places – and what will become of staff and undergraduate students – many have received offers from other colleges for work or to finish their educations – the mood was mostly upbeat.
“Today is not a sad day,” said Marvetta Littlejohn, a graduate student and now-former employee at Limestone. “This is a historic moment and we are celebrating together.”
Littlejohn said some students and faculty were angry at the board’s decision and the swiftness of the closure. But she also said that there was a greater number of students that were positive.
“Which shocked a lot of us, because we were emotional and they kept coming by our offices, checking up on us, encouraging us,” she said. “They were worried because they know we have families and bills and things like that.”
Littlejohn graduated from Limestone with her bachelor’s in social work, last May. She was supposed to graduate from Limestone with her master’s in December. She isn’t sure where she will finish the degree.
“We've been looking to transition to another school that's going to help us transfer all our credits and stay on track for graduation,” she said.
Several colleges in South Carolina, including South Carolina State University, Erskine College, Southern Wesleyan University, Coker University, and Newberry College – have offered Limestone undergrads direct transfer of credits and scholarships in the face of Limestone’s sudden closure.
Two days after the board’s decision to close the school, Limestone faculty voted to tell the board, as well as university President Nathan Copeland and Executive Vice President and CFO Jeremy Whitaker, not to attend the commencement ceremonies.
They were not in attendance on Saturday.
Littlejohn worked as a coordinator in Limestone University’s Testing Center. As for where she will work now, she said, “ I am not sure, but yesterday I was amazed because one of the students came up to me, he gave me a hug, and he said that he went back to his old high school and he was talking to the superintendent, and said, ‘I mentioned your name.’”
The student is trying to get a job at his old high school, and told the superintendent, “that, ‘If he hires me, he needs to hire you too,’” Littlejohn said. “So, like I said, [the students] are really looking out for us as a faculty and staff.”
Littlejohn also said many of her colleagues have received offers for work directly from other colleges in the state.
Some graduates were more melancholy Saturday. James Justice grew up in Gaffney and wants to be a teacher. He was feeling multiple emotions Saturday morning.
“ I'm a little sad and I know I won't get to enjoy a lot of the great stuff the college has anymore,” Justice said. “But I'm glad I'm able to graduate here.”
He said undergraduate friends of his are scrambling to put an education together for the fall, but that everyone he knows is going to get through this disruption fine.
“It's definitely something that a lot of people have been kind of upset [about] and I've definitely felt myself kind of sad a little about it, but we'll get through it,” he said. “I know a lot of people are just trying to make the best of it.”
Justice had kind words for his teachers. He had other feelings for the men and women whom he said did a bad job with the money.
“To my professors, thank you for all you've taught me,” he said. “Some of you have been really great. And I hope the people that misused all the funding get what they get.”
No lawsuits have yet been filed regarding Limestone’s finances. An effort to resurrect the school is still being waged on Facebook, where the group Saving Limestone holds out hope that the doors could reopen.
Whether Limestone finds a second life or not, Marvetta Littlejohn said that the students she’s met have proven that the university served them well.
“If this is how they handle something like this,” she said just before heading into Fullerton Auditorium, “then I know that they will be all right in life. “
