Boundless Campaign Surpasses Original Goal of $125 Million

On Friday, College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell made a momentous announcement, revealing that the Boundless campaign has met and surpassed its fundraising goal of $125 million. The current total is over $127 million.

Friday afternoon, Pres. McConnell announced that the Boundless Campaign has surpassed its goal of $125 million. (Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

The announcement took place in the Hall of Alumni, where President McConnell stood on a stage accompanied by Boundless Campaign Co-Chair Steve Swanson and Vice President of Alumni Affairs Ann Looper Pryor. President McConnell’s opening remarks highlighted the significance of the location, pointing to the plaques engraved with names of alumni. “Each plaque tells a story of a different kind of philanthropist,” he said, “they all saw the power of the College of Charleston experience, and our unique place in the higher education landscape.”

President McConnell underscored the impact this campaign has had on the affordability of the College, saying “since 2009, we have grown student aid and scholarship support from the College of Charleston Foundation by more than 70 percent.” The College of Charleston President assured the audience that this has allowed more students than ever before to realize their dreams of a college education.

President McConnell also highlighted specific donors including College of Charleston senior sociology major Shekinah Patterson, national Chairs of the College of Charleston Parent Advisory Council Laura Ricciardelli and Dave Watt, The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, the Boeing Company, alumni Al Eads, Graduate alumnus Martin Erbele and Professor Andrew Lewis.

The campaign, which began in October 2009, is the largest fundraising effort in the College’s 246 year history. Over a six year period, 2,300 donors have helped to surpass the original financial goal of the Boundless campaign. These contributors consist of alumni, faculty, students, parents and donors with various other connections to the College. All of the benefactors contributed to five particular priorities spelled out on the Boundless Campaign’s webpage at boundless.cofc.edu/vision. The campaign states that it wishes to invest in  funds available for scholarships, the faculty of the College, academic and campus life programs, the creation of new, state-of-the-art facilities and annual giving. The first priority on that list is academic scholarships.

The Boundless Campaign will continue until June 2016, as it hopes to expand alumni participation from 9,400 donors to 10,000. (Photo courtesy of The College of Charleston)

President McConnell concluded with the announcement of another goal: to raise the number of contributing alumni from about 9,400 to 10,000 by the end of the Boundless Campaign in June. “As alumni, we have a responsibility to care for this institution, to ensure that it not only goes on, but that it goes forth stronger. The College is in our collective DNA. So, let’s come together now to ensure that it is passed on to future generations of students,” concluded McConnell.