The University of South Carolina’s board of trustees kicked off its Friday meeting by finalizing a 10-year-long athletics apparel deal with Nike. Later, the board heard updates on campus infrastructure and the announcement that USC received a record amount of fundraising over the last fiscal year.
Record fundraising
The university received just under $260 million in private funding during the 2024-25 fiscal year, an all-time record. Starting with a goal of $140 million, 2025 is the first year USC raised more than $200 million, according to Michelle Dodenhoff, vice president for development at the university.
Contributing to this number is Bonnie and Peter McCausland’s $75 million donation to the College of Arts and Sciences, which now bears their last name. An anonymous donor also gave $23.5 million to the School of Medicine Columbia to support the upcoming health sciences campus in the Bull Street District.
Corporations and foundations reached $43.5 million in new donations and over 10,000 individuals gave to the university for the first time.
Dodenhoff said there were not any new strategies to credit for the fundraising records. Instead, it may have been just the right timing for donors such as McCausland to make their gifts, she said.
“I wish there was a secret sauce, silver bullet, but there isn’t,” Dodenhoff said.
Updates on infrastructure
Since the last board meeting, two campus projects were finished.
The Russell House’s new dining hall, Garnet Station, opened its doors this month. This completed a major renovation which replaced around two thirds of the bookstore, according to University Architect Derek Gruner.
A majority of students interviewed by The Daily Gamecock last year responded positively to the news of this expansion.
Within USC’s former law school, 50,000 square feet of space has been opened up for use as classrooms and laboratories this semester, Gruner said.
The board gave a second round of approval to the replacement of McBryde and the creation of a third wing to the Honors College residence hall on Friday. Gruner said the two projects will now bring 1,090 beds to campus, a higher projection than what was reported this January.
Gruner added that McBryde's replacement will stand between five and six stories tall, and the new wing of the Honors College is expected to reach six stories.
McBryde has 260 beds and is expected to be demolished in spring 2026.
"McBryde is in the core of our campus," Gruner said in January. "This is one of the last really great sites for housing in our core."
According to a news release from University Spokesperson Jeff Stensland on Aug. 22, the McBryde and Honors College projects are expected to wrap up in 2028. During construction, the neighboring section of Sumter street will be closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic, Gruner said. Demolition is expected to happen in spring 2026.
Last semester, The Daily Gamecock reported that USC club sports teams found the conditions of campus recreational fields unsafe, resulting in players getting injured.
At Friday’s meeting, the board approved several upgrades to the recreational fields next to Williams-Brice and Gamecock Park, including new turf, restrooms, fencing and bleachers. The renovations come at a cost of $1.5 million, according to the news release.
USC's campus is also getting new recreational space, including pickleball courts. Gruner said several vacant research buildings behind the 300 Main Street building will be demolished to make room for the courts, restrooms and some green space. The project addresses the demand from students for more recreational space on campus, he added. The courts are scheduled for completion in fall 2026.