The University of South Carolina (USC) has organized only two system-wide capital campaigns in its 207-year history. The second one, “Carolina’s Promise,” has been operating quietly since 2007, amassing a little more than $500 million during its silent phase in donations from alumni, corporations and individuals. USC officials aim to raise a record total of $1 billion during the “Carolina’s Promise” campaign, announcing last November the kickoff of the campaign’s public phase, which will last through 2015.
The capital campaign is the largest in South Carolina’s history. The campaign provides a rallying point for faculty, staff, students and alumni. “It all starts with a university-wide vision,” says USC’s Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Michelle Dodenhoff. “We have the most amazingly loyal alumni and are tracking to reach our goal by 2015.”
Donors can contribute in one of four “giving” categories:
- Student support, such as scholarships
- Faculty development, including chairs and professorships
- Program enhancement, usually focused in particular schools
- Capital, used for activities like laboratory renovations and athletics
Private support makes up the majority of USC’s budget, overshadowing state appropriations, which currently account for nine percent of the annual budget used to run the University’s eight campuses.
“Ninety-eight percent of the dollars are designated by donors, mostly specified for particular schools,” says Dodenhoff. “Some of the dollars are already coming in, and spending has begun. We have received some gifts, some pledges, and some in-kind gifts such as special collections for the library.”
Since the inception of “Carolina’s Promise,” charitable giving has steadily increased each year. Beginning in the first year of the silent phase, USC raised more than $106 million. That number has increased somewhat each year. Last fiscal year’s fundraising results netted more than $122 million.
In the years between the University’s initial Bicentennial campaign, which ran from 1995 to 2002, and the most recent fundraiser, USC’s giving records show fluctuations in gift amounts. Since “Carolina’s Promise” began, philanthropic gifts have steadily risen, despite the recent economic situation.
“The recession strengthens our case for support,” Dodenhoff says. “USC is at a point where it is ambitious and wants to build on its history of excellence. To be the best, we have to have the best faculty, the brightest students who we draw through scholarships, state-of-the-art residential facilities, and innovation.”
The $1 billion will be used to:
- Increase the funding available for student scholarships, fellowships and financial aid
- Increase the amount of research performed through faculty, and enhance teaching excellence
- Recruit and retain high-level faculty members
- Make USC more competitive with its peer universities by improving academic facilities, technology and living-learning environments
- Provide opportunities to increase the health of individuals, improve the state’s communities, and solve some of society’s pressing issues
- Ensure the endowment is funded in such a manner to make it competitive with SEC schools
The campaign also is expected to raise support for President Harris Pastides’ key initiatives, including leadership, sustainable energy, health, aerospace, the Rule of Law, and increased access to high-quality public education.
“The promise of Carolina includes teaching our largest student population ever, launching this unprecedented capital campaign, and inspiring a better way of life in South Carolina and beyond through intellectual curiosity, sound science, and the pursuit of economic prosperity,” says President Pastides.
Prior to campaign kick-off, Dodenhoff says each school was asked to envision and prioritize its goals. Based on that process, University officials determined how much money was required to reach the goals of each academic discipline, satellite campus, and area of USC. The University’s campaign roster lists the largest monetary goals for the athletics department at $160 million, Moore School of Business at $100 million, College of Arts and Sciences at $80 million, and College of Engineering and Information Technology at $70 million. “The most exciting outcome is that we create a foundation where people can give transformative gifts,” Dodenhoff says. “We want people to give to what they’re passionate about, which adds another dimension to what private philanthropy can do.”
One recent transformative act of giving was alumni William and Lou Kennedy’s $30 million gift in 2010 to create a pharmacy research center with an entrepreneurial bent. The center will serve as a home for collaborative research and education with the goal of bringing together the nation’s top minds in entrepreneurship, health sciences, communications, and other disciplines with esteemed pharmacy practice faculty.
Dodenhoff says USC is on track to meet the 2015 self-mandated fundraising goal. “With a surprise big gift, we may even reach the goal earlier,” she says. It’s that spirit of optimism that permeates the University’s visioning process and extends to its faculty, staff, alumni, and beyond.