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GREENSBORO — The cutbacks, layoffs and campus debt that Greensboro College faced earlier this year created a financial storm the college continues to weather. But in terms of its annual giving campaign, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Alumni have raised more than $80,000 to support the college — $30,000 more than a goal issued this fall by R. Carter Pate, chairman of the Greensboro College board of trustees.

“The alumni were probably waiting to see — after the news from the summer — what they could do to help,” said Scott Rash, the college’s vice president for institutional advancement.

Pate agreed at the start of the drive to match up to $50,000 and said he was excited to write the check. The money will be used to support students, particularly in the area of financial aid, Rash said.

Not only did the college exceed its goal, but it beat its Dec. 31 deadline.

“We’ve got a bigger goal we still want to reach from a fundraising standpoint,” he said, “but this was a great first step for us.”

Most colleges in the Piedmont Triad dealt with layoffs and cutbacks last budget year. But at Greensboro College, the massive debt and cutbacks raised questions about whether the small, private Methodist college could survive.

“It’s amazing the difference a few months can make,” Rash said.

President Craven Williams retired in July as the financial troubles escalated, and C. Brent DeVore was appointed interim president in September. Pate, a Greensboro College alumnus and managing partner in a global accounting firm, was named chairman of the board in July.

Pate said that by some schools’ standards, the amount raised isn’t a lot. But he said what was more important than the dollar amount was getting people reconnected to the school.

Individual donations were relatively small — $100, $250 and $500 checks. But they were from alumni who had never previously given or had exceeded their gift from last year, Pate said Tuesday.

Adding to the school’s financial turnaround are other gifts that have not been publicized, Pate said, including “significant dollars” from board members.

The number of people donating to the college more than doubled from this time last year, Pate said in an e-mail to faculty and staff Tuesday. He said the percentage of alumni who contributed also doubled.

But raising money is only one of several steps in returning Greensboro College to its former glory, Pate said.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint. Six months doesn’t make a permanent turnaround,” he said, adding that there is still work to be done, including hiring a new president.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 373-7080 or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com