SC State trustees approve 3-year, $20M fundraising campaign

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — The trustees of financially troubled South Carolina State University have approved a plan for raising $20 million over three years.

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports (http://bit.ly/1G9yfun ) trustees accepted the plan Monday.

They hope the school can launch the effort before a team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visits the university in mid-April to gauge its progress. SC State’s accreditation has been on probation since last summer.

As of late February, the state’s only public historically black university owed more than $10 million on unpaid bills. Its debt to vendors and the state is expected to reach $23.5 million by mid-summer. Trustees have fired President Thomas Elzey. The Legislature could soon fire all trustees.

Last week, the acting president asked legislators to erase the school’s debt.