Erskine College
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Erskine Clock Tower |
Erskine College was founded by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1839. Prior to this time the church had established in Due West, S.C., an academy for men in 1835. This academy became Erskine College, the first four-year church-related college in South Carolina.
By the time of the Civil War, Erskine had become one of the thriving colleges of the region with more than 100 students enrolled. Following the war, loyal supporters rebuilt the endowment wiped out by conflict. They also financed construction of the Erskine Building and established Chairs in Chemistry and English Literature under widely respected professors.
These professors helped Erskine established a reputation for academic excellence as the college moved from classical to liberal arts curriculum.
Also enhancing this reputation were the Erskine literary societies, as old as the college, which trained championship debaters and supplemented speech and literary training. The large auditorium constructed in 1892 brought renowned speakers to Erskine and continued Erskine's role as a cultural and educational center of the South Carolina Piedmont.
Erskine also played a greater role in the education of women, admitting women first in 1894 and becoming officially coeducational in 1899. Due West Female College, founded in 1859 by Associate Reformed Presbyterian ministers and laymen, came under the control of the ARPP Church in 1904 and merged with Erskine College in 1927.
The planned merger had paved the way for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges in 1925, and the combined institution continued to provide a quality education and produce distinguished graduates over the next three decades, despite the setbacks of the Great Depression, World War II, and the dearth of students entering higher education in the early 1950s.
Successful capital gifts campaigns beginning in 1954, 1963, 1974 and 1992 have increased Erskine's endowment to more than $40 million and provided more than $15 million in physical plant improvements over the past four decades.
A new capital campaign, the Gold Campaign, was launched in 2001 and was completed in December of 2006. Among a number of emphases in the Gold Campaign are the funding of endowed scholarships and professorships and the renovation and expansion of Memorial Hall, including the addition of a mathematics facility.
Erskine Theological Seminary
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Bowie Divinity Hall |
Erskine Theological Seminary was founded in 1837. The Theological Seminary became the School of Theology of Erskine college in 1925. A member of the Atlanta Theological Association, it offers a three-year postgraduate curriculum leading to the Master of Divinity degree; a two-year postgraduate program leading to the M.A. in Christian education; and a program requiring at least two years, whereby experienced ministers holding the M. Div. or its equivalent may earn the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree.
Erskine Seminary also offers master's degree programs in pastoral ministry, theological studies, counseling ministry, and church music.
Erskine Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. The Seminary moved into the new $1.25 million Bowie Divinity Hall in 1985. The Seminary celebrated its Sesquicentennial with a number of special activities in 1987.
The purpose of Erskine Theological Seminary is to serve the Church and its mission by providing those called to be ordained servants of God with guided experience in being witnesses of the Word to the Church and, through the Church, to the world.
While the seminary is conducted under the auspices of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and has a special obligation to equip men for the ministry in that church, it admits persons of Christian character and of approved educational attainment from other Christian denominations and offers them all the possible encouragement in preparing them for the work of the ministry in the churches of their choice. Erskine Theological Seminary sponsors an extensive program of continuing education.
The Seminary operates under its own vice president, dean and faculty and prints a separate catalog.
Erskine College and Seminary Presidents
John L. Carson |
1998-2005 |
James W. Strobel |
1990-1998 |
William Bruce Ezell, Jr. |
1981-1989 |
M. Stanyarne Bell |
1973-1981 |
Joseph Wightman |
1966-1973 |
J.M. Lesesne |
1954-1966 |
R.C. Grier |
1921-1954 |
J.S. Moffatt |
1907-1921 |
F.Y. Pressly |
1899-1907 |
W.M. Grier |
1871-1899 |
R.C. Grier |
1865-1871 |
E.L. Patton |
1859-1861 |
R.C. Grier |
1847-1859 |
E.E. Pressly |
1839-1847 |