SC State nets $170,000 in new contributions

S.C. State University received $170,000 in contributions for scholarships and student recruitment Friday from U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and SCANA Corp.

Clyburn and his wife Emily, both 1961 graduates of the Orangeburg school, donated $70,000 to establish the Emily England Clyburn Honors Scholarship. The Clyburns already have a $1.2 million endowment at the state’s only historically black public college.

SCANA, the Cayce-based parent of electric utility SCE&G, gave $100,000 to aid the university’s student recruitment and retention efforts. Clyburn, D-Columbia, was instrumental in securing SCANA’s contribution, the university said.

The donations signal continued support for S.C. State as leaders work to erase a deficit that had passed $20 million. That deficit resulted when the school failed to trim its budget as its enrollment fell by more than a third.

S.C. State’s new board of trustees has cut $19 million for its budget, including laying off some staff and closing some underused buildings. The school also attracted its largest freshman class in four years this fall.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 3:45 PM.