April 29th, 2025 10:00pm
In an update to a story published in mid-April, Limestone University has confirmed that it will cease operation at the end of the Spring, 2025 semester.
From WSPA News in South Carolina:
GAFFNEY, S.C. (WSPA) — In an email sent to students and parents, Limestone University President Nathan B. Copeland announced the university’s Board of Trustees decided to close the school at the end of the current academic semester.
The university will discontinue both online and in-person degree programs. The move comes after the university met with students and staff two weeks ago, stating the school was facing severe financial uncertainty and needed $6 million in immediate support. Last Tuesday, the board met for nearly three hours, but a final decision was not made due to a potential funding source being found.
Shortly after, the school launched “Together for Limestone,” a public fundraising campaign. A $1 million donation pledge made by the Fullerton Foundation was announced hours later.
Limestone announced more donation pledges Tuesday, including two $500,000 pledges from local donors along with $100,000 from Sossamon Construction Company.
The Chair of Limestone’s Board of Trustees, Randall Richardson, said despite more than $2.1 million in donations, the university is unable to secure the funding necessary to continue as an institution.
“We want to thank the almost 200 recent supporters in the last two weeks
who committed a collective $2.143 million,” Richardson said. “We had hoped that would be enough to sustain our institution. But in the final analysis, we could not continue operations on campus or online without a greater amount of funding.”
Closing campus means letting go of a $150 million annual economic impact in Cherokee County, which affects local businesses, restaurants and countless employees who could feel the ripple effect.
Gaffney Mayor, Lyman Dawkins III, said he feels deeply sad and hurt for everyone.
“Limestone means more to this community than words can fully express,” he said. Limestone will forever be etched into the heart of Gaffney. Even in this difficult moment, I believe God will bring us through the storm.”
Original story from Apr16, 2025
In a statement issued Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Limestone University announced it is facing a potential closure if its physical campus and acknowledged the possibility that the University could be completely shuttered. Limestone is seeking a financial lifeline of six million dollars in a timeline that was described only as "immediate." While none of the potential impacts discussed in the University statement are official yet, it would appear to be unlikely that Limestone will field a football program this fall. Limestone is currently a full member of the South Atlantic Conference in Super Region Two. The Saints finished 8-3 in 2024 under first year head coach Jerricho Cotchery.
Statement from Limestone University
Gaffney, SC – April 16, 2025: After 179 years educating students in person, Limestone University is facing a critical turning point which may require transitioning to online only classes or at worst ceasing operations completely.
Limestone currently offers both in-person and online classes. Limestone University’s Board of Trustees has announced that, absent the University obtaining immediate financial support in the amount of $6 million, the institution will need to move to a fully online model, or, possibly, to begin the process of ceasing operations. In light of the serious financial outlook, the Board will convene on April 22, 2025, to discuss the next steps for the historic institution.
“Limestone remains committed to our students and we will work directly with current students to help them identify the best path to successfully complete their educational journey,” said Randall Richardson, Chair of the Limestone University Board of Trustees. “We are reaching out separately to students with information regarding options to continue their education.”
While full closure remains a risk, the institution is considering a scenario that would discontinue all in-person academic operations and all other activities, including athletics, in Gaffney. The fully online model would effectively end the traditional college campus experience.
“The Board’s priority is to preserve the Limestone mission of education and service on our campus in addition to online. But without this financial lifeline, we will have no choice but to move all operations online, which means closing our physical campus,” said Richardson. The179-year-old institution aims to maintain online degree programs. The online portion of the institution has seen strong growth and could support long-term stability.
Limestone University has long been a vital institution in South Carolina and the greater region, blending academic excellence with personal attention and a rich campus life. The institution has a $150 million annual economic impact on Cherokee County and this potential shift to online-only instruction threatens not only the campus experience, but local jobs and the cultural presence Limestone has provided for nearly two centuries.
The university’s financial challenges stem from a combination of nationwide enrollment declines, rising costs, and long-standing structural pressures facing small, private institutions. The proposed $6 million emergency fund will stabilize operations and give the university the opportunity to pursue long-term solutions that preserve its on-campus identity.