Mary Driscoll reflects on a decade of milestones at USCA

On June 30, Mary Driscoll will hang up her hat as the University of South Carolina Aiken’s Vice Chancellor of Development and Alumni Relations. For the past 10 years, she has worked tirelessly to build and strengthen relationships with alumni and other core constituencies, communicate the university’s value, and secure resources necessary to advance the institution. As she looks toward retirement, she reflects on her staff’s accomplishments and her love of the Aiken community.

“Success is measured by teams, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great colleagues and staff,” Driscoll says. “We have a small shop and our mission is always accomplishing what is best for our students.”

Driscoll came to USCA in June 2015 after holding development roles with other universities. She has served in higher education since 1988, first at St. Bonaventure, then at University of Florida, where she led development for the School of Education. She returned to St. Bona’s as its vice president where she spearheaded a $90 million fundraising campaign and another $10 million School of Business building campaign. Ten years ago, she was looking for her next challenge as USCA was seeking a new leader for development and alumni relations. She participated in an interview and was asked to visit campus as a finalist.

“I fell in love with the campus and community and have been here ever since,” Driscoll says.

Since beginning her role with USCA, Driscoll has led a number of initiatives in the Office of Advancement, starting with establishing metrics and infrastructure for fundraising efforts. In 2016, her staff was named Most Overall Improved Fundraising Staff by the Council of Advancement and Support of Education, a leading global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement.

She has also furthered stewardship efforts among internal and external constituencies, created a number of new scholarships and raised significant funds for the Aiken Partnership Board, the affiliate of the USC Educational Foundation that supplements the university budget. Since 2015, Driscoll has grown USCA’s endowment from $25 million to $40 million.

“As a result of private donations, the foundation was able to award over $1 million in private scholarships last year alone,” Driscoll says. “This by far has made an impact on student retention.”

Driscoll has played an instrumental role in many special events and building programs. For the 60^th anniversary jubilee, she led 30 faculty and staff volunteers in planning 23 events to celebrate USCA’s 60 years of growth.

During her tenure, Driscoll and her staff fundraised over $1.5 million and opened the 43-acre USCA golf facility and Chalk Mine 9, a nine-hole, par-three golf course with a driving range and putting green. The facility provides a permanent home for the golf team and a nine-hole home for First Tee Aiken, a youth development organization that integrates the game of golf with leadership skills curriculum.

“This project was a huge success and received national attention,” Driscoll says. “We were able to build on our own property to give our golf team a proud home and recruitment facility similar to our other Peach Belt Division II sports teams.”

Driscoll is active in the greater Aiken community, having served on the boards of the Kiwanis Club of Aiken, North Augusta Chamber of Commerce, North Augusta Chamber Foundation and United Way of Aiken County.

“It’s a pleasure to work and serve within the community you live,” she says. “Aiken, North Augusta and Augusta all contribute to the economic growth of the CSRA.”

Looking to the future, Driscoll hopes she is leaving practical footsteps for the next leader to expand upon. Citing the Savannah River National Laboratory Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, Cyber Integration Center, expanded STEM offerings and certification programs, and new strategic plan, she says that USCA is on the cusp of significant growth.

“This university has great leadership with Chancellor Heimmermann, Provost Bridgmon and deans and directors. We’re finishing the first year of the new strategic plan and gaining a lot of momentum,” she says. “I’ve been honored to serve the university, and I can’t wait to see what the next years look like.”

While Driscoll plans to continue calling the Aiken area home, she looks forward to traveling the country to visit her children and four brothers.

“With fundraising you are on 24/7, so I plan to say ‘no’ for the first three months,” she says. “I’m going to revisit myself.”

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at [email protected].