Clemson nears $1 billion fundraising goal

After a record year of private gifts, Clemson University is closing in on its $1 billion fundraising goal for its “The Will to Lead” capital campaign.

Private gifts to the university totaled $136.6 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, bringing the multi-year campaign’s total to $934 million. At the current pace of giving, Clemson is months away from surpassing its goal, officials said.

More than 24,000 individuals made donations in the fiscal year that wrapped up in June. Nearly 23 percent of the school’s alumni contributed, which Clemson said remains one of the highest participation percentages among public universities nationwide.

Highlights of the year included gifts of:

▪ $3.3 million from James Kennedy for a waterfowl and wetlands conservation center,

▪ $3 million from SCRA for the Watt Family Innovation Center,

▪ $2.5 million from Leon J. “Bill” Hendrix, Jr. family and $2.5 million from Betty Poe for athletic facilities, and

▪ $2.4 million from David and Lynette Snow for student outdoor recreation.

The Greenville News

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Clemson nears $1 billion fundraising goal."