Unless you have lived in a news vacuum, you undoubtedly know about the troubles public colleges face with state budgets. The situation is particularly acute in South Carolina where higher education has sustained funding cuts for four consecutive years. Since 2002, The Citadel’s annual appropriations are down more than $4 million dollars at a time when costs and demands for services have risen steadily. It doesn’t take a financial genius to realize that we must either cut costs or find other sources of revenue.

We try to be good stewards of our limited funds by saving money in ways that have the least impact on the quality of our programs. We have left positions vacant, reduced travel budgets, delayed maintenance and made investments to save energy. Unfortunately, we are approaching the point where we cannot maintain quality without replacing the lost state revenue.

Other sources of funds include tuition and fees, the money we make from sales or rentals and the gifts we receive. We all know there are limits to how much we can raise tuition and fees and still keep a Citadel education affordable. There is also a practical limit to how many thousands of Citadel sweatshirts our gift shop can sell. Therefore it is clear that we must rely on fundraising to make the critical difference in maintaining the strength, quality and influence of our alma mater.

In March we kicked off the public phase of our $100 million capital campaign. We have already raised $79 million thanks to the support of very generous donors. But reaching the finish line will be the toughest part and if we are to make our goal, every single person who loves The Citadel must participate. When you are contacted, please give us your support. Your gifts will guarantee that future students will experience the unique excellence of a Citadel education.