Latest news with #LimestoneUniversity
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former employee files class-action complaint against Limestone
GAFFNEY, S.C. (WSPA) – A former employee has filed a class action complaint against Limestone University. The complaint claims that Limestone, the Defendant, had not given its employees an advanced notice of the mass layoffs from the university's closure. The complaint was brought under the 'Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988,' better known as the WARN act. The WARN act is a law that requires most employers to provide a 60-day advanced notice to employees about a company's closing or mass-layoffs. The complaint stated that on April 17, 2025, a group of 478 employees were told that they would be terminated from Limestone on April 30, 2025. You can read the full complaint here: FILE_3664Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coastal Carolina University offers support to Limestone students after closure
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Coastal Carolina University is offering support to Limestone University students after its closure, CCU said Friday in a news release. Coastal Carolina said it will waive application fees for its online programs for Limestone students. 'We understand this is a difficult time for students who have attended Limestone University, and we are eager to assist them in any way we can,' said J. Lee Brown, the dean of CCU's College of Graduate and Continuing Studies. 'Our online undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available to meet students where they are during this uncertain time, without the pressure and logistics of acclimating to a new campus.' Coker University lends helping hand for Limestone, St. Andrews University students after closings To support Limestone students, Coastal Carolina is offering online undergraduate students: Guaranteed acceptance into online degree programs for undergraduate students in good standing with a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a minimum of 24 transferrable credits Application fees waived Application deadlines waived Reduced enrollment deposit fee of only $100 applied directly to tuition Credit transfer of up to 90 hours with admission approval Personalized enrollment, advising, and information on financial support Transfer Explorer support to assess Limestone credits toward degree progress Transfer merit awards available for applications received by June 1 Undergraduate online completion degrees qualify for CCU's eRate For online graduate students: Application deadlines extended for several degree programs Application fees waived Personalized enrollment, advising, and information on financial support Evaluation of credits for degree applicability All applicants are required to clear the non-academic admissions review process, CCU said. Limestone students are invited to attend a virtual open house session on May 13 or May 20 to learn more. The undergraduate sessions are at 11 a.m. on May 13 and 1 p.m. on May 20, while the graduate sessions are set for 3 p.m. on May 13 and 5:30 p.m. on May 20. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
180-year-old Christian university in South Carolina to close after $6M fundraiser falls short
A 180-year-old private Christian university in South Carolina is closing at the end of the semester after failing to raise $6 million to sustain its educational operations. Limestone University raised about $2.1 million from nearly 200 donations during a two-week fundraising period, falling short of the funding needed to continue its on-campus and online programs, the university said in a news release Tuesday. "Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world," said Randall Richardson, chair of Limestone University's trustees. "Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on." Limestone University's online and in-person enrollment dropped from about 3,200 students in 2014 to about 1,600, according to state higher education data. Harvard President Apologizes For Failure To Address Antisemitism, Islamaphobia After New Reports Released Several hundred professors and support staff will lose their jobs as part of the closure. The school said it promised to help students transfer to other schools. Read On The Fox News App Students and faculty have questioned whether the school's financial problems could have been handled sooner. "Why didn't we do anything sooner?" Emma Knapp, a student, told WSPA-TV. "We kept spending money when we shouldn't have been." "The problems didn't happen overnight and they probably could have been addressed sooner," Paul LeFrancois, a professor of economics at Limestone told the station. Teen Rejected By 16 Colleges, Hired By Google, Sues For Racial Discrimination Daniel Deneen Jr., who plays football for Limestone, said he was shocked at the school's dire financial situation and sudden closure. "When we found out the school had $30 million in debt, we all wondered how they were going to get out of it. The last two weeks have been very stressful with finals coming up this week," Deneen told The Post and Courier. Limestone, founded in Gaffney in 1845, will hold its final commencement ceremonies on Saturday. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: 180-year-old Christian university in South Carolina to close after $6M fundraiser falls short
Fox News
01-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
180-year-old Christian university in South Carolina to close after $6M fundraiser falls short
A 180-year-old private Christian university in South Carolina is closing at the end of the semester after failing to raise $6 million to sustain its educational operations. Limestone University raised about $2.1 million from nearly 200 donations during a two-week fundraising period, falling short of the funding needed to continue its on-campus and online programs, the university said in a news release Tuesday. "Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world," said Randall Richardson, chair of Limestone University's trustees. "Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on." Limestone University's online and in-person enrollment dropped from about 3,200 students in 2014 to about 1,600, according to state higher education data. Several hundred professors and support staff will lose their jobs as part of the closure. The school said it promised to help students transfer to other schools. Students and faculty have questioned whether the school's financial problems could have been handled sooner. "Why didn't we do anything sooner?" Emma Knapp, a student, told WSPA-TV. "We kept spending money when we shouldn't have been." "The problems didn't happen overnight and they probably could have been addressed sooner," Paul LeFrancois, a professor of economics at Limestone told the station. Daniel Deneen Jr., who plays football for Limestone, said he was shocked at the school's dire financial situation and sudden closure. "When we found out the school had $30 million in debt, we all wondered how they were going to get out of it. The last two weeks have been very stressful with finals coming up this week," Deneen told The Post and Courier. Limestone, founded in Gaffney in 1845, will hold its final commencement ceremonies on Saturday.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Limestone University Will Close As Fund-Raising Effort Comes Up Short
Long-standing financial problems have forced Limestone University to close its doors at the end of ... More this academic year. The Limestone University Board of Trustees has voted to close the institution, effective at the end of this semester. The decision comes after an emergency fund-raising effort came up short of what was necessary to sustain the university, which has been operating for almost 180 years. 'Despite exhaustive efforts to secure the funding necessary to continue our operations, we have come to the difficult conclusion that Limestone University has not been able to secure the necessary funding to sustain its operations,' said Randall Richardson, Chair of Limestone's Board of Trustees, in a news release. Limestone University — a private, Christian college in Gaffney, South Carolina — revealed two weeks ago that it was facing such significant uncertainty about its financial future that a complete closure of the institution had become a possibility. '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,' said the university at the time. The university attributed its continuing financial troubles to what has become a well-known set of factors — enrollment declines, rising costs, and structural budget deficits — plaguing small, private colleges and universities across the nation. Limestone's Board of Trustees had previously announced that it would need to immediately secure $6 million in financial support to allow the institution to continue normal operations and give it time to examine other longer-term solutions that could sustain its viability. If that effort was not successful, the board said the university would be forced to offer only online instruction or begin the process of shutting down. Shortly after making that announcement, Limestone launched a new "Together for Limestone" campaign designed to raise money that would provide essential support for campus operations, academic programs, and essential services "and ensures our mission endures.' Several hours later, Limestone reported that it had received a $1 million commitment from the Fullerton Foundation, a Gaffney-based private foundation. That grant gave the institution some short-lived hope that it could survive. On Tuesday of this week, two more pledges were made from local donors totaling another $1 million. According to Richardson, over the past two weeks, nearly 200 supporters had committed a collective $2.143 million to the effort, but it was too little, too late. "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,' added Richardson. Founded in 1845, Limestone University currently enrolls about 1,600 students, including both on-campus students and those seeking online degrees. It employed slightly less than 500 faculty and staff. The University said it would pursue 'an orderly wind-down process' and will assist current students seeking to transfer to other institutions and support faculty and staff during the transition. More detailed information about the closure timeline, student records, transfer assistance, and other support services will be provided in the coming days, it added. 'Words cannot fully express the sorrow we feel in having to share this news,' said Dr. Nathan Copeland, President of Limestone University. 'Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters fought tirelessly to save this historic institution. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, we are forever grateful for the passion, loyalty, and prayers of our Saints family.' Despite the announcement, Limestone still plans to conduct a final commencement ceremony on May 3.
