TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS. LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY IS FACING A POTENTIAL SHUTDOWN. THAT IS ACCORDING TO AN ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY THE UNIVERSITY THIS AFTERNOON. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY LIMESTONE IS IN A DIRE FINANCIAL SITUATION AND WILL CONSIDER CLOSING ALL ON CAMPUS ACTIVITIES. OUR NATE STANLEY WAS ON CAMPUS ALL AFTERNOON AND JOINS US LIVE WITH THOSE DETAILS. NATE, HOW IS THE LIMESTONE COMMUNITY REACTING TO ALL OF THIS TONIGHT? WELL, SIDNEY, STUDENTS AND FACULTY TELL US THEY SAW THE WRITING ON THE WALL, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXPECT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE SO SUDDEN. NOW THEY’RE LEFT WONDERING WHAT’S NEXT. THERE’S BEEN NO TALK OF THIS AT THE ENTIRE YEAR, SO I FEEL LIKE WE’RE ALL, LIKE, PRETTY BLINDSIDED. LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SAY THEY’RE IN SHOCK AFTER FINDING OUT THE SCHOOL IS PREPARING TO END ALL ON CAMPUS ACTIVITIES AFTER THE SPRING SEMESTER. CLOSE TO 1000 STUDENTS WOULD NO LONGER HAVE A PHYSICAL CAMPUS IN NEARLY 300 FACULTY MEMBERS WOULD FACE LAYOFFS. WE STILL INTEND TO HAVE AN ONLINE PRESENCE, BUT IT WILL CERTAINLY BE A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT IS NOW. ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT NATHAN COPELAND, THE SCHOOL NEEDED $6 MILLION TO STAY AFLOAT FOR THE FALL SEMESTER. HE SAYS IN LESS THAN A WEEK, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL MEET TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION ON THE SCHOOL’S FUTURE. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO RAISE MONEY, LOOK AT PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX IN WAYS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO CLOSE THE GAP. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. ALUMNI SAY IT’S HEARTBREAKING WATCHING THEIR ALMA MATER FACE A POTENTIAL CLOSURE. YOU KNOW, THE STUDENT IN ME IS KIND OF LIKE, THIS KIND OF SUCKS, BUT THE BUSINESS PERSON, THE ADULT IN ME IS KIND OF LIKE SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, MESSED THIS UP FOR GENERATIONS. AND STUDENTS SAY THEIR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WILL NOW BE TAINTED. WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THESE PEOPLE? LIKE I MADE, LIKE, SO MANY GOOD CONNECTIONS. AND NOW IT’S JUST GONNA GO AWAY. LIKE, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? YOU KNOW? SO. AND CHEROKEE COUNTY SAYS THAT LIMESTONE HAS ALSO HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY HERE, PROVIDING JOBS FOR EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONALS, AS WELL AS EDUCATING STUDENTS AND EVEN SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES. THAT’S AN IMPACT THAT WILL BE LOST IF THE CAMPUS WERE TO MOVE ONLINE. REPORTING IN GAFFNEY, NATE STANLEY, WYFF NEWS FOUR. NATE, THANK YOU. AND WITH THIS MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT, WE’RE TAKING A LOOK AT SOME OF LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY’S HISTORY. A RASHAD WILLIAMS JOINS US WITH SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT THE SCHOOL AND ITS IMPACT TO THE CHEROKEE COUNTY COMMUNITY. RASHAD, LET’S GO OVER LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY, FOUNDED IN 1845. IT WAS THE FIRST WOMEN’S COLLEGE IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND ACCORDING TO THE SCHOOL’S WEBSITE, LIMESTONE TOOK ITS FIRST STEP IN OFFERING EVENING CLASSES WITH ITS BLOCK PROGRAM BACK IN 1976. THE UNIVERSITY BECAME A LEADER IN OFFERING COLLEGE CLASSES VIA THE INTERNET BACK IN 1996. THE FIRST GRADUATE STUDENTS WERE ADMITTED IN THE UNIVERSITY’S MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM. IN THE SUMMER OF 2012. FOR THE 2022 2023 SCHOOL YEAR, 45% OF STUDENTS WERE MALE, WHILE 55% WERE FEMALE STUDENTS. FOR THAT SAME SCHOOL YEAR, THE SCHOOL SAYS IT HAD STUDENTS FROM 29 COUNTRIES AND 36 STATES. THE UNIVERSITY’S PRESIDENT SAYS LIMESTONE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST INSTITUTIONS IN THE STATE TO DESEGREGATE, AND HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY. A THIRD OF OUR STUDENT BODY ARE FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS. THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO TRULY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT COLLEGE LOOKS LIKE, WHICH MAKES TODAY AN EVEN TOUGHER SCENARIO. THE UNIVERSITY’S PRESIDENT WENT ON TO SAY, NOW IT WILL SHIFT ITS FOCUS ON HELPING STUDENTS THROUGH THE TRANSFER PROCESS IF THEY CHOOSE TO GO ELSEWHERE. THE SCHOOL ALSO HAS MORE THAN 800 STUDENT ATHLETES AND ONE OF THE LARGEST DIVISION TWO DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY. LIMESTONE COMPETES IN 2
Students, school officials react as Limestone University faces closure amid financial uncertainty
Limestone University announced it may be closing its campus in the next year.
Limestone University students say they’re in shock after learning that the school is preparing to end all on-campus activities after the spring semester. “There’s been no talk of this at the entire year. So I feel like we’re all like pretty blindsided right now for sure,” says master’s student, Tori Rochester.The move would leave close to 1,000 students without a physical campus and result in layoffs for nearly 300 faculty members.”We still intend to, have an online presence. But it will certainly be a lot different than it is now,” says University President Nathan Copeland.Copeland, the school needed $6 million to stay afloat for the fall semester. He says in less than a week, the board of trustees will meet to make a final decision on the school’s future.”We have been working to raise money. Look at partnership opportunities, and think outside of the box in ways that we would be able to close the gap. Unfortunately, we were not able to make that happen,” Copeland says, “our biggest challenge is looking at, revenue that comes in at the beginning of the fall semester and then revenue that comes in the beginning of the spring semester, and then there’s really not very much revenue at all between them. So our biggest hurdle is getting from here to September.”Alumni say it’s heartbreaking having to watch their alma mater face closure.”The student in me is kind of like, wow, this kind of sucks. But, business person, the adult in me is kind of like someone, you know, mess this up, for generations,” says Rodney Felder, who graduated in 2018.Students say now their college experience will be tainted.”Where am I supposed to find these people? I’ve made so many good connections and now just for me, what are you doing?” asks freshman Omarri Thomas.
GAFFNEY, S.C. —Limestone University students say they’re in shock after learning that the school is preparing to end all on-campus activities after the spring semester.
“There’s been no talk of this at the entire year. So I feel like we’re all like pretty blindsided right now for sure,” says master’s student, Tori Rochester.
The move would leave close to 1,000 students without a physical campus and result in layoffs for nearly 300 faculty members.
“We still intend to, have an online presence. But it will certainly be a lot different than it is now,” says University President Nathan Copeland.
Copeland, the school needed $6 million to stay afloat for the fall semester. He says in less than a week, the board of trustees will meet to make a final decision on the school’s future.
“We have been working to raise money. Look at partnership opportunities, and think outside of the box in ways that we would be able to close the gap. Unfortunately, we were not able to make that happen,” Copeland says, “our biggest challenge is looking at, revenue that comes in at the beginning of the fall semester and then revenue that comes in the beginning of the spring semester, and then there’s really not very much revenue at all between them. So our biggest hurdle is getting from here to September.”
Alumni say it’s heartbreaking having to watch their alma mater face closure.
“The student in me is kind of like, wow, this kind of sucks. But, business person, the adult in me is kind of like someone, you know, mess this up, for generations,” says Rodney Felder, who graduated in 2018.
Students say now their college experience will be tainted.
“Where am I supposed to find these people? I’ve made so many good connections and now just for me, what are you doing?” asks freshman Omarri Thomas.
