Anonymous USC alumnus donates $4 million to university

An anonymous donor from Columbia has given the University of South Carolina nearly $4 million to put towards a variety of scholarship and educational programs.

The $3.94 million donation was made by a recently-deceased alumnus of the university who wished to remain anonymous, officials said.

The money will go to fund scholarships at the South Carolina Honors College and the USC School of Music, allow for the hiring of a full-time steward at the Belser Arboretum and towards rare book acquisition and preservation at the university’s libraries, officials said.

“This donor was a true renaissance person,” Eleanor Foster Swarat, the vice president for development at USC, said. “The donor had been very successful on a professional level and continued his involvement with many areas of the university. This quiet philanthropist preferred not to be in the limelight, but wanted to assist others in making their mark on Carolina’s future.”

The donation comes on the heels of a $1 billion capital fundraising campaign, officials said.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Anonymous USC alumnus donates $4 million to university."