Case Statement

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Introduction

North Greenville University was founded by Christians of the Upstate of South Carolina who recognized the value of education for their sons and daughters. In a passionate speech delivered to a North Greenville Baptist Association meeting held in October of 1891, Dr. M. L. West, chairman of the Committee on Education, urged his fellow delegates to provide a better educational facility for their children, who were receiving only one to three months of schooling per year. He said:

"We can have within the bounds of this Association a school of high grade equal to any in the country, in which our boys and girls may receive such an education as will fit them for any business in life, or to enter any of our colleges. We can do this; we have the money, we have the wealth, we have the boys and girls. Have we the moral courage to go forward?"

Then as now, those who have sustained this University and helped it prosper are faced with some of the same challenges that our founding fathers faced in 1892. Does this generation have the courage to go forward?

In a time of economic hardship, the wisdom of launching the first comprehensive capital campaign for the University could be legitimately questioned. We are bolstered by the fact that for nineteen consecutive years, God has blessed NGU with a record enrollment. We now have more than 2,300 undergraduates and 150 graduate students. As a tuition driven institution, this reality assures that our basic needs as a University will be met. But with growth comes the need to utilize every resource to the fullest. Decisions were made by the administration and Board of Trustees twenty-two years ago that if we were to grow it would be done by biblical principles. What this meant then as today is that we will live off our tuition revenue and growth will be governed by what we can earn and save.

We will borrow no money. If we can't pay for it we don't purchase it. Over the past twenty-two years more than forty million dollars has been spent to erect new buildings and establish new programs at North Greenville University. And not one dollar was borrowed to accomplish these goals.

In the next three years two important milestones will be reached for North Greenville University; the 125th Anniversary of our founding and the twenty-fifth anniversary of Dr. Jimmy Epting's Presidency. The University's strategic planning process, which is renewed each year, covers a five year period. As the University's Board of Trustees and Administration made plans to give glory to God for His faithfulness to His institution, the idea for the Gift God Campaign was conceived.

What follows are descriptions of the most urgently needed improvements to current facilities and the addition of buildings and programs required now to meet the University's growing student body. This is not a "build it and they will come" approach so common in higher education. The needs outlined in this document are based on our current enrollment and realistic increases based on our past nineteen years of experience. To paraphrase Dr. West, we have the students; what we now need are men and women like those founding partners who have the will to make this "light on the hill" shine as never before. Will you join us?

Needs of the University

The Need for Better Science Facilities $ 1.17 million

The growth of our science and math departments has reached the point of overflow.

Our current science building was completed in 1962 for the largest enrollment in school history of 525. What was considered a state of the art facility included an auditorium, five labs, five lecture rooms, and a greenhouse. This 21,136 square foot facility has served the institution well for many years.

Today this building is used for the instruction of 3,500 students per week. Every possible space is utilized and some classes are taught at other campus sites. This growth has brought a sense of urgency to providing new science facilities for the University and deserving students. Plans have been drawn to add an addition that would expand class room and lab space. The proposed addition would add 18,400 square feet, expanding this facility to 39,536 square feet and accommodating expected future growth.

The Need for a Multipurpose Indoor Athletic/Worship Center $4.8 million

This multipurpose facility is essential if the University is to respond to our projected growth rate for the next eight years. Now in our nineteenth year of consecutive record growth, our enrollment has surpassed 2,400. Nearly fifteen hundred of these students live on campus and all of them are required to participate in weekly chapel services. Our men and women’s basketball and volleyball teams currently play in a gym built in 1950 and renovated in 1966 to accommodate a student body of 1,000. With a student athlete population of over 300, our need for a new indoor venue is clear.

When we consider the continued addition of 100 plus undergraduates each year, we realize that plans which seemed optimistic less than five years ago are no longer adequate to meet our current needs. A multipurpose facility designed to accommodate our entire university community for events like weekly chapel services, graduation ceremonies, concerts and conferences will allow us to extend the life of several buildings and provide critical space needs for our expanding student population.

The Need for New Student Residence Halls $1.5 million

Our current growth pattern will require us to build two new residence halls over the next three years. At a cost of approximately $ 1.25 million each and construction time of nine to twelve months, we must plan now to start the first new residence hall within eighteen months to open the doors by the close of the capital campaign.

The Need for Additional Endowment $4.8 million

More than 98% of students who attend North Greenville require some form of financial assistance. This statement was true before the current economic crisis. NGU has traditionally sought to provide an education to first generation college students and the children of ministers and missionaries. Because North Greenville does not pursue or accept direct federal or state grant dollars, all institutional financial aid awarded must come from private sources. Our original goal was to add two million to each of the following funds within our endowment: the Christian Ministry Scholarship Fund; Academic Scholarship Fund (undergraduate and graduate); NGU Financial Need-Based Grant Fund and Athletic Scholarship Fund. We raised nearly half of this amount by the mid-way point of the campaign, but it remains imperative to reach or surpass this goal.

The Need for Community $3.5 million

The Academic Village at Tigerville seemed no more than a dream just few years ago. Until recently the intersection of SC Highways 414 and 253 could only boast a brick home, abandoned country store, pasture land and grassy hillside. But the dream of our President, Dr. Jimmy Epting, was to build a “village” that would attract visitors and allow us the opportunity to share our Christian witness and our University with them.

Today this same crossroads includes a bank, bagel shop, three hundred seat theatre, retail shop, classrooms and a beautifully landscaped campus entrance. Plans to further develop the Academic Village at Tigerville include renovation of the nearly century old Wood's Store building to include: a retail space similar to the popular food and retail chain store, Cracker Barrel, and would include a convenience store and healthy fast food options; the construction of additional shops with classrooms and faculty offices on the second floor, single and married student housing; and a building to house the University’s Bible Museum and other collections of interest that might be donated to the University.

The Need for Additions to the Athletic Complex $650K

This will allow us to complete funding of our proposed tennis complex and include the development of softball and other athletic practice fields.

Bricks and Mortar Endowment $ 750,000

New buildings will increase the University’s operating costs for routine maintenance. Funding efforts include raising an additional 5% above cost to fund permanent endowment for this purpose.

The Gift God Campaign – Give it Forward to God

Purpose

To secure funds required to meet the needs for academic facilities, student housing, athletic facilities, endowment and ongoing support, the trustees of North Greenville University in September 2010 approved an ambitious five-year capital campaign. THE GIFT GOD CAMPAIGN represents North Greenville’s opportunity to meet current facility and program needs to prepare for anticipated growth of the next eight years while holding true to biblical financial principles.

Campaign Summary

• Renovation and new construction for science and math programs
• New multipurpose indoor athletic/worship center
• New Student Residence Halls
• Endowment Additions
• Academic Village at Tigerville Expansion
• Athletic Complex Needs
• Bricks and Mortar Endowment

Renovation and New Construction for Science and Math Programs

The most urgent need of the GIFT GOD CAMPAIGN is the renovation of current facilities and completion of an addition to the Crain Science Building. The completed project would provide laboratory and teaching spaces for the study of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology and the computer sciences. New and renovated spaces would include:

• Twelve Lecture Classrooms – an increase of five
• Eleven Laboratories – an increase of six
• Three Computer Rooms – an increase of one
• Three Research Areas – an increase of three
• An Animal Room – an increase of one
• Eight Storage Rooms – an increase of three
• Forty-Nine Offices – an increase of nineteen
• Seven Restrooms – an increase of four
• Two Break Rooms – an increase of one

It is impossible to overstate the need for these facilities and the impact this single project will have on the forty-five faculty, six full time staff and over 2,400 deserving students presently using this fifty-year-old facility.

The cost of renovation and new construction will total $2.5 million.

Multipurpose Indoor Athletic/Worship Center

The largest building project of the campaign will be a new multipurpose athletic and worship center. The growth of our student body has placed stress on every campus venue where students gather en masse. This is most evident during events such as graduation, convocation or concert events that require seats for all 2,300 students, plus faculty, staff and guest which can grow at times to more than 3,000.

Current architectural drawings of this building take into account growth projections for the next eight years and include an arena floor that will accommodate gatherings of 3,000 - 5,000. Other amenities include:

• State of the art game and practice courts for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball
• Men’s and Women’s dressing/locker rooms
• A President’s Box for entertaining University guests
• Stadium style seating for games and worship events
• Lobby and concession facilities on upper and lower levels

Additions to Our Endowment

This is the largest dollar goal of our campaign and appropriately it will be for the purpose of providing scholarships for current and future students.

As an institution founded upon education from a biblical perspective, we have attracted large numbers of children from the families of pastors and missionaries, as well as many first generation college students. Our current student body includes sixty children from missionary families, seventeen international students from ten different countries and students from 33 states. A goal of $2 million has been set for each of the following areas:

• Christian Ministry & Missions
• Academics (Undergraduate and Graduate)
• NGU Financial Need-Based Grants
• Athletics

New Residence Halls

Based on the past nineteen years, we are cautiously optimistic that North Greenville will continue to grow. Through ongoing planning and stewardship of available resources, housing needs have been met in creative ways. The use of refurbished houses, either given to us or purchased, has allowed us to avoid the higher cost of building larger traditional dorms. Our current plans are to build two, seventy-two bed residence halls at an estimated cost of $1.25 million each. These facilities will feature:

• Individual Comfort Controls
• En Suite Bathrooms
• Slide Card Entry for Added Security
• In-House Laundry
• Central Lounge for Bible Study and Community Building

The Academic Village at Tigerville

Our long range planning models show the Academic Village at Tigerville as a center for economic and academic activity. The vision for this development is to expand the University’s footprint north from the intersection of Highway 414 and 253. By providing buildings that can serve as both commercial enterprises and classrooms, we hope to generate economic activity for the community and educational opportunities for our faculty, staff and students.

Underlying this plan is the sure foundation of honoring Christ as we build the village. Offering retail shops, a museum, food venues and convenience store will attract families of prospective students as well as tourists and community residents. In doing so it will allow us to share the gospel of Christ as we give testimony to what He has done both in our lives and at North Greenville University.
The projected cost for the next phase of the Academic Village development is $4.25 million.

Athletic Complex

This will allow us to complete funding of our proposed tennis complex and include the development of softball and other athletic practice fields.

• State of the Art Softball Complex with locker rooms and offices
• Additional practice fields for soccer and track teams
• Twelve-court tennis complex with offices and locker rooms
• Baseball Field Lights

Endowment for Building Maintenance

As an act of stewardship the University’s Board of Trustees require that as new buildings are constructed provision be made for long term maintenance. We are seeking an additional 5% above the projected cost of each building as part of the campaign. Based on current projects this amount is $750,000. This figure will be adjusted based on actual expenses as the buildings are completed.

Your Response

As the campaign title implies it is the utmost desire of our Trustees, faculty and staff to make this campaign about giving as unto the Lord. We are, as President Epting has said many times, “God’s University”. We desire in everything we do to honor God and use our time, talent and resources for His Glory.

As you consider making your gift, please know that it will be gratefully received and used as designated. The needs are urgent and will require many gifts both large and small. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a multi-year pledge to help us achieve our $25 million goal as soon as possible.

Gifts Required for the $25,000,000 Campaign

Number of Gifts Gift Level Total
1	$5,000,000	$5,000,000
2	$2,500,000	$10,000,000
3	$1,250,000	$13,750,000
5	$625,000	$16,875,000
10	$250,000	$19,375,000
20	$125,000	$ 21,875,000
40	$25,000	$24,750,000
Many	$1000	$25,000,000

Ways of Giving

Donors to the Gift God Campaign may make one-time gifts or may fulfill their pledges over a period of three years. Gifts of cash as well as gifts of stocks, bonds, real estate and other assets of value are welcome.

North Greenville University is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization; all gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Various options for giving are outlined on the following pages. 6

Current Giving Opportunities

Cash. Money by check is the easiest and most common way to make a gift. Cash gifts may be used annually as charitable deductions on your federal income tax return to offset up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income if you itemize your deductions. You may carry forward any unused deductions over the next five years.

Appreciated Securities. Gifts of appreciated securities such as stocks, mutual fund shares and bonds, which you have owned longer than 12 months, are fully tax-deductible charitable contributions, including the difference between what you paid for the security and its market value when donated. Such gifts are deductible annually up to 30 percent of your adjusted annual gross income on your federal tax return with the same five-year carry-over deduction provision as cash gifts. Remember that you must give the security itself, rather than selling it first and giving the cash, in order to avoid paying tax on the capital gain.

Real Estate. The same tax advantages that apply to stocks and bonds also apply to real estate. You may give acreage, a farm, a lot, a house, a commercial building or any other kind of real estate held longer than one year and receive a charitable deduction for the full market value and also avoid taxes on the profit.

Tangible Personal Property. You may give any other asset of value—for example, an automobile, a painting, a coin collection, a piece of jewelry or equipment—and receive a charitable deduction.

Corporate Gifts. Corporations are permitted by law to give away to qualified charitable organizations up to 10 percent of their pre-tax profits in any given fiscal year. This provision is a double tax saving in that neither the corporation nor the individual is taxed on the gift.

Deferred Giving Opportunities

In addition to current pledges to the campaign, alternate giving strategies should be considered. Listed below are several planned or deferred giving opportunities that will enable you to make an even larger overall response to North Greenville’s GIFT God Campaign. The University’s Advancement Staff will be glad to assist you in deciding which type of planned gift is most appropriate for you, or to provide more detailed information about the option you prefer.

Charitable Gift Annuities. A gift annuity is a contract between you as the donor and North Greenville University where, in exchange for a gift of cash or marketable securities, NGU will promise to pay you a guaranteed income stream for life. The annuity can be for one life or two, which means you and your spouse can enjoy this income stream at a percentage based on your life expectancy.

Charitable Remainder Trusts. Individuals most often use a charitable trust with low basis assets that produce little or no income. Selling the asset and reinvesting for income will generate an unacceptable capital gains tax. When the asset is gifted to a charitable remainder trust and then sold
by the charity, no capital gains tax is paid so the full amount can be reinvested to provide lifetime income to the donor or the donor and spouse.

Charitable Lead Trusts. A charitable lead trust is the opposite of the remainder trust. It provides an income stream to North Greenville University for the term of the trust. Trust assets then revert to family members—typically children or grandchildren. The primary benefit to the donor of a lead trust is that it can produce significant gift and estate tax savings while shifting assets to heirs outside of the estate.

Life Insurance. By giving an insurance policy already in force, you will receive a charitable deduction for the cash value of the policy. You may take out a new insurance policy on your life or assign one already in force, naming North Greenville University as the owner and beneficiary. The
premiums will be tax-deductible.

Retention of Life Interest Gift. You may give a personal residence or farm and retain lifetime use of the property. You will receive an immediate charitable deduction for the remainder value of the gift based on your age. The property is removed from your estate for tax purposes. The donor is responsible for taxes, insurance and maintenance. At your death or the death of the surviving spouse, the gift becomes the property of North Greenville University.

Retirement Plan. You may name North Greenville University as the beneficiary of all or a portion of a retirement plan such as an IRA or Keogh Plan. The trustee of the plan will help you make that beneficiary designation. Upon your death, the gift will come to North Greenville without probate.

Or, if you choose, you can name a charitable remainder trust the beneficiary of the retirement plan. Then your heirs can receive the income for life or a term of years with the remainder going to North Greenville University.

A Living Trust. You may name North Greenville University as a co-owner with right of survivorship of any savings account. Upon your death, that account becomes the property of North Greenville University automatically and without probate.

A Bequest Through Your Will. You may name North Greenville University in your will, or in a codicil to your will, for a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate or as a final contingent beneficiary.