Last Updated on June 12, 2025 2:37 pm
BANNER ELK, N.C.— Lees-McRae College marked the end of its fiscal year by breaking records across the college. In the Fall 2024 semester Hurricane Helene ripped through Western North Carolina, and catastrophic wind and rainfall left the area devastated by the storm’s impact. Despite the challenges of the storm, the campus rallied together, and in May 2025, Lees-McRae graduated the largest cohort of bachelor’s and master’s degree students the school has ever witnessed. When it comes to financial vitality—one of the college’s Core Strategies—this fiscal year set another record for the largest single year of fundraising in the college’s 125-year history.
During the 2024–25 fiscal year, patrons of the college came together to support Lees-McRae like never before, helping to raise $10.2 million dollars, a 68% increase in year-over-year giving from the previous fiscal year. This record-breaking year is yet another sign of the college’s upward trajectory and commitment to excellence in the realm of higher education.
“This support is happening because our donors, friends, and alumni understand the value of Lees-McRae, and are happy to see the college thrive in the current landscape of change and upheaval in higher education,” President Lee King said. “It also represents investments that our constituents are making in The Legacy Campaign, our recovery from Hurricane Helene, student scholarships, the college’s endowment, and all the other things that help Lees-McRae thrive.”
By relying on community support and the clear vision and steadfast leadership of King and the college’s Board of Trustees, Lees-McRae made it through the storm not only sustaining but thriving. Throughout this year, hundreds of donors provided additional financial support beyond their typical annual giving. Donors accelerated their pledges and inspired others to give in the direct aftermath of the storm, but their support did not stop there. In April they continued to back Lees-McRae on Giving Day, where the college surpassed its giving goal.
This record-breaking year of giving will continue to affect the college long after this fiscal year. Students impacted by the storm will receive financial relief through the Hurricane Helene Scholarship Fund. Continued improvements to academic buildings and residence halls will be funded through gifts to The Fund for Lees-McRae, and donations to The Legacy Campaign illustrate continued support following the college’s acquisition of the South Campus property.
