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

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A 180-year-old private Christian university in South Carolina is closing at the end of the semester after failing to raise $6 million to keep its doors open.

Limestone University officials said that after two weeks of furious fundraising and other actions, they collected just a little over $2 million and had no choice but to close its Gaffney campus and online programs.

The school had lost about half its enrollment in the past decade.

“Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world,” said Randall Richardson, chair of Limestone University's trustees. “Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on.”

The university stunned its students, alums and community when it announced earlier in April without warning that it was in such bad financial shape that without an immediate infusion of $6 million it would have to close.

More than 200 people gave a total of about $2.1 million, but it was not enough. The university said the donations will be returned.

South Carolina lawmakers decided not to step in because Limestone University is a private institution.

Dozens of private colleges and universities like Limestone have closed in recent years. They are coping with steep declines in enrollment, a consequence of both changing demographics and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Limestone University's online and in-person enrollment had dropped from about 3,200 students in 2014 to about 1,600, according to state higher education data. Limestone University promised to help students transfer to other schools.

The closure will also leave several hundred professors and support staff without jobs in Gaffney, a city of about 12,500 people on Interstate 85 between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Spartanburg, South Carolina.

About 50 students gathered outside where trustees met Tuesday night and hugged as they got the email announcing the university was closing.

Daniel Deneen Jr. of Myrtle Beach played football for Limestone and was jarred that he had to change his plans for his education.

“When we found out the school had $30 million in debt, we all wondered how they were going to get out of it. The last two weeks have been very stressful with finals coming up this week,” Deneen told The Post and Courier.

Limestone University, founded in 1845, will hold its final commencement Saturday.

Limestone isn't the only college in the region to announce it is closing this month.

St. Andrews University about 150 miles away in Laurinburg, North Carolina, will close Sunday after the spring semester. The school is a branch campus of Webber International University.

FILE - Limestone College students walk across campus Monday, Dec. 11, 2006, in Gaffney, S.C.. The school announced late Tuesday it will close after failing to raise $6 million. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong officials on Wednesday proposed expanding oversight of building maintenance projects and stronger fire safety steps after a blaze in November killed at least 161 people and displaced thousands.

The blaze that spread across seven towers in an apartment complex raised questions about corruption, negligence and government oversight in the city's building maintenance projects, piling pressure on Hong Kong leader John Lee’s administration and Beijing’s “patriots-only” governance system for the city.

In the newly elected legislature's first meeting, Lee said the fire exposed the need for reform and pledged that the investigation by law enforcement agencies and a judge-led independent committee would be thorough.

“We will fairly pursue accountability and take disciplinary action based on facts against anyone who should bear responsibility, regardless of whether they are from within or outside the government, or whether they are junior or senior staff,” Lee said.

To combat bid-rigging, Lee's administration proposed that the Urban Renewal Authority play a greater role in helping homeowners choose contractors for building maintenance projects.

Officials planned to set up a preselected list of consultants and contractors based on official background checks and past reviews from homeowners. The authority would facilitate homeowners in tendering and bid evaluation more.

The government also suggested requiring big renovation projects to hire a third-party professional to supervise the work, necessitating fire department's approval before shutting down major fire safety installations, and banning smoking on any construction site.

Proposals for law changes linked to the smoking ban were expected to be submitted for the legislature's review within the next few weeks, while officials were still discussing some of the other suggestions with the Urban Renewal Authority.

Authorities have pointed to substandard netting and foam boards installed during renovations at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex as factors that contributed to the fire in November. They also said some fire alarms did not work in tests.

Political analysts and observers worried the tragedy could be the “tip of an iceberg" in Hong Kong, a city whose skyline is built on high-rise buildings. Suspicions of bid-rigging and use of hazardous construction materials in renovation projects across other housing estates have left many fearing the disaster could be repeated.

A man walks past the burnt buildings after a deadly fire that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Friday, Nov. 28 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

FILE - Smoke rises after a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Nov. 26 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)