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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

ATLANTA-Leaders of the Southern Catholic College endeavor, who hope to open Georgia's first Catholic college, need to raise $4 million by this May to reach a $10 million fund-raising goal - and a May 7 groundbreaking date. The money is needed to start building the college in June in anticipation of a fall 2003 opening date. So far, the nearly $6 million raised includes money collected in verifiable pledges. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for May 7 at the 338-acre wooded building site located about 40 miles north of Atlanta off GA 400. Originally scheduled to open in fall 2002, the college's opening date was pushed back after it was decided that they did not want to start off with temporary buildings, said Tom Clements, school founder and chairman of the board of trustees. "Our goal is to raise a little more than $4 million between now and May 7," Clements said. "We don't want to be undercapitalizing for the building. If we start, we want to be able to complete it - so that's absolutely our goal." If the $10 million is not raised by May, the project schedule will simply be pushed back until donors come forward, he said. "If it doesn't happen in May, it might take a little longer. It's definitely going to happen; it's just a function of when it's going to happen," Clements said. May is still the main goal. "We've met every one of our objectives that we set out for since April last year. We've been tracking pretty good." The $10 million to "kick off the building campaign" is the first part of their larger goal of $34 million to establish the school. "Our goal is to raise $34 million to pay off all the debt, to be a vibrant school and to continue to put money into growth," Clements said. He explained that raising the initial $10 million will enable the college to finance the total project cost with tax-free revenue bonds available to schools. Southern Catholic is currently negotiating with various banks and investment firms through which to select one for the bond financing, a type of loan with reduced interest rates. Randy Taylor, a commercial lender at Wachovia Bank, said he approached Southern Catholic about the possibility of bond financing through that bank. "At this point I think it's a positive project. We haven't reached any conclusion yet to go forward or not go forward. We're just not at that stage," he said. "They're heavy into the fund-raising stage, which is where they should be. We're just watching that and reviewing financial information given us." The school is waiting to hear back from some potential large donors, from whom it has requested about $7.5 million. To date, Clements said "It's (the entire project) just going phenomenally well. We're on schedule for virtually every area . . . The biggest hurdle right now is financing. The fact we can get to the point where that is the biggest hurdle means we've accomplished a lot. The curriculum is established, the Catholicity is established, enrollment guidelines-(we have) a tremendous amount of things put into place," he said. "We really need every person who has thought of giving money, we need them to step forward and give us money." So far, Clements estimated that $500,000 has been spent on a down payment for the land, another $500,000 on construction plans and fees, and $350,000 has been spent on marketing. Geoffrey Crabbe is heading up the construction side as director of facilities. General contractors are Beck construction of Atlanta and Opus South Corp. of Tampa, Fla., while architects are HOK architectural firm and Wakefield, Beasley and Associates, both with Atlanta offices. Southern Catholic has applied to the Dawson County Board of Commissioners for a land disturbance permit. If approved as expected this month, site and building permits will be applied for. The project construction includes two building phases: Phase I-A is anticipated to cost $26 million and will involve construction of a residence hall, academic/office/administration building, gymnasium and a facilities building. If begun as scheduled, the buildings should be completed by the summer of 2003. Phase I-B of the building project is expected to begin in summer 2003 and will involve building another residence hall and a student commons to house a library, cafeteria and theater. While the two construction phases will establish the presence of the campus in Dawson County, Clements said that plans to add more buildings span the next two decades. There will be "about 20 years of new buildings. We're going to be working and raising money for years and years to come," Clements said. He estimated the school will require $300 million for these projects. A graduate of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., Clements conducted a feasibility study from July-November 2000 to determine the need for a Catholic college here. The father of four children, he had just completed the sale of his software company, earning about $6 million after taxes, when he decided to take on a leadership role in the development of Southern Catholic, purchasing the property for $4.5 million in January 2001. The school will be "a Catholic liberal arts college with a mission to prepare moral and ethical leaders who will enlighten society and glorify God," he said. Project leaders have met with Archbishop John F. Donoghue several times, and the archdiocese is providing moral support to the project. But Gareth Genner, managing director of ISC and advisor on education to the archbishop, said that the archdiocese has committed a large portion of the financial resources of the Department of Catholic Education to the expansion of elementary schools over the next several years and consequently will not become actively involved in the college. "While the archbishop endorses the concept of a Catholic college operating in the archdiocese, Southern Catholic College is a private initiative and is wholly independent of the archdiocese. The archbishop will not serve on the board of the college and the Office of Catholic Education will not have any responsibility for oversight of the college. As an independent college, Southern Catholic will not be funded by the archdiocese and must stand alone as an economic entity," he said. In speaking with potential donors, Clements tries to emphasize that he's relying on their support and that the project is not being funded by the archdiocese. "What I have to be very clear about is making sure people know we need their money because we're not going to get money from anybody else." While the actual physical plant isn't in place, the organizational structure is moving forward. Southern Catholic has a full-time staff of seven and 30 active volunteers. In January, four new members joined its board of trustees, which now has 10 members. They will meet quarterly. The board of fellows, which will address the school's Catholicity, currently has two members, and will add three more fellows. The board also has seven special advisors. In addition, the school has applied for authorization by the Non Public Post Secondary Education Council, which will make a site visit within the next few months. Currently a search for candidates for school president is being conducted, and negotiations are taking place with a potential vice president of student affairs. Clements said they have some "good semifinalists" in the presidential search, who are committed Catholics with successful college administration experience. Student applications will be accepted this summer if fund raising continues as scheduled. To raise money and awareness, project representatives have spoken to over 55,000 people before and after Masses at archdiocesan parishes, and have solicited prominent Catholics around the Southeast and companies and foundations, securing 670 donors. Visits are scheduled at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, in April and St. Benedict Church, Duluth, in June. Southern Catholic has also visited over 60 high schools in the region and has mailed information to high school students around the country. The school has also used consulting firms in developing their business plan, which defines the school mission and how to implement it. In turn, 1,500 students in over 20 states have made inquiries about the school for 150 spots in the first class. "We even have a couple applications in, even though we can't officially accept applications until probably this summer," Clements said. With these plans in motion, Nick Bain, vice president of corporate strategy at UPS in Atlanta and a board of trustees member, is confident that as Clements does what he loves, the money will follow. Yet Bain, who donated $1 million and says he is not a fund-raiser, admits that the financial challenge can seem a bit daunting. "It's progressing very well," said Bain. "The critical issue is to continue the fund raising . . . I'm confident he'll (Clements) get there, but it's not there yet. That's the only barrier to success. Everything else I think is moving ahead full steam and advancing very well." Bain, who has been focusing recently on the presidential search, is "very pleased" that the board has just added four new members, and believes that as people establish their roles and committees "the group will come together in the next six months." "It's just been a slow process of identifying the right people and building a relationship with them." He believes the board needs to be expanded to represent the broader geographical area, including Southeastern cities like Chattanooga, Tenn., and Savannah. He said the board of fellows will guide creation of the Catholic culture and life on campus. The college will offer a daily experience of the church and its sacraments and spiritual and academic growth will be integrated with training in life preparation, health and wellness. And the full-time staff makes "very much a team effort." The UPS executive addressed concerns that the college might be "too religious" and attract not a broad array of students but a "select group of holy rollers." "I think it will be very opening, welcoming, but it's still going to be true to Catholic doctrine and provide a Catholic sacramental experience." His own passion for Catholic education is what made Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., want to serve on Southern Catholic's board of trustees. His university of over 11,000 students spent years planning its recent addition of a law school, which gave him better appreciation of what's involved in opening a school from scratch. Like most Catholic colleges, the University of St. Thomas is independent of the local archdiocese, but is "intimately tied to the life and mission of the Archdiocese of St. Paul." Southern Catholic is "really blessed. The progress that we're making has exceeded my expectations across the board: the kind of support people are showing for it, the kind of talent it's attracting, the dedication, the fund raising, the acquisition of land, the planning for construction and accreditation," said Father Dease. "Tom sees the wonderful contribution it can make to the lives of individuals and the life of faith, considering there is no Catholic college in the state of Georgia. I think Tom is the right man at the right time for this project. He has a really strong faith and combines that with excellent entrepreneurial skills. He is a proven entrepreneur. He has been very successful in founding a business and operating it and eventually it was acquired. These are precisely the skills needed to put together an organization like a Catholic college." As for Clements, he's already reaping the rewards of his business investment. "We are working daily miracles in this project. You see the happiness and get comments back from kids like 'I'm so excited about this.' Mothers say, 'Thank God for what you're doing.' I went into this thing to give back and what I've found is I'm getting more back than I'm giving and I'm working on it full time . . . This is the most joyful thing I've ever done (and) I've started a company and met with great business successes," he said. "We believe we are a major positive force in the archdiocese to pull together the community." Information about the project can be obtained by calling (678) 584-0484 or at www.southerncatholic.org.

Leadership Of Southern Catholic College

Board of Trustees

Thomas J. Clements Chairman, Founder and CEO

Nicholas Bain Vice President United Parcel Service Atlanta

Patrick J. McGahan Chairman Cummins South, Inc. Atlanta

Norman Carmichael Assistant Director of Internal Audit United Parcel Service Atlanta

Rev. Dennis Dease President University of St. Thomas St. Paul, Minn.

Ignacio Diego President Euramex Atlanta

Carlos Rodriguez CEO La Cazuela Mexican Restaurants Duluth

Robert Clanin CFO (Retired) United Parcel Service Atlanta

Elizabeth Judson, Ph.D. Director of Industry Relations Yamacraw Atlanta

Mary Welch Rogers Atlanta Board of Fellows

Rev. Michael Scanlan, TOR Chancellor Franciscan University Steubenville, Ohio

Janet Smith, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy University of Dallas Irving, Texas

Special Advisors To The Board

Academics:

Donald Briel, Ph.D. Director of Catholic Studies University of St. Thomas St. Paul, Minn.

Paul J. Voss, Ph.D. Director of Undergraduate Studies in English Georgia State University Atlanta

Tanya Sudia Robinson, Ph.D. Associate Professor in Healthcare Ethics Emory University Atlanta

Athletics:

George W. Levert Jr. Athletic Advisory Counsel Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta

Catholicity:

Rev. James V. Schall, S.J., Ph.D. Georgetown Jesuit Community Washington, D.C.

Student Affairs:

Blaise Morrissey, M.H.A. Former Director of Student Health Center Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta

Fund-raising:

Alexander W. Smith Principal Smith, Gambrel and Russell Atlanta