Kilgore, TX — The fundraising arm of Kilgore College is extending its hand to supporters to raise $25 million in five years in an era of state austerity.

“If you count unfunded (student population) growth, we’ve lost 27 percent of the funding we need from the state,” college President Bill Holda said Wednesday.

“For a long time, we’ve needed to activate community colleges, actually throughout the state. ... You’re not going to get it from the state, you’re not going to get it through local taxes. And there are limits on raising tuition and fees. Alternative sources of funding are going to become necessary for all of us.”

The Kilgore College Foundation, a nonprofit entity separate from the governmental entity that runs the college, has existed about 15 years. Like most school foundations, it provides grants to teachers and scholarships for students, from interest on a balance that Holda said is $3 million.

Holda hopes to add capital building needs, classroom technology and campus infrastructure to those benefits with the expanded fund. The money also could help make up for 43 employee positions, nine of those for instructors, laid off in the wake of state budget cuts.

“We’ve got a long list of needs,” Holda said. “And unless we’re really successful in bringing in alternative sources of revenue, it’s going to be awfully difficult to meet those needs.”

Read the full story here.