01.19.05

Dr. John L. Carson

Erskine President Dr. John Carson to step down in June

Dr. John L. Carson, 13th president of Erskine College and Seminary, has announced his plans to resign June 30.

Carson had indicated he would not serve as president after June 2005 in a 2003 letter to Erskine Board Chairman John Moore. "Chairman Moore graciously encouraged me to remain not only until June 2005 but also beyond," he said. "However, I have told him that I will abide by my decision."

"The Erskine College Board of Trustees is thankful to have had the leadership and vision of President John Carson for these past seven years," Moore said. "Erskine College has been greatly blessed under his leadership."

A 1967 graduate of Erskine College and a former member of the Erskine Seminary faculty, Carson was an Associate Reformed Presbyterian pastor before becoming president of Erskine in 1998. He was serving as pastor of the First ARP Church in Gastonia, N.C., when he received the call to Erskine.

"Erskine's presidency was not something I sought," he recalls. "In fact, it was something I resisted. However, in spite of my inadequacies and personal preferences, I believed God wanted me to accept this responsibility."

With Carson as president, Erskine has enjoyed record enrollment increases in both the college and seminary; has completed major campus improvements, including the renovation of all residence halls; and has launched the largest capital campaign in its history.

"Under the leadership of Dr. Carson, Erskine has made great strides," said Greenwood attorney William B. Patrick Jr., a former chairman of Erskine's Board of Trustees. "The clarity of vision and direction provided by Dr. Carson has positioned Erskine well for the future."

"John Carson has served Erskine well," said ARP Church Moderator Frank Hunt II of Lake Wales, Fla. "Under his leadership, Erskine has continued to strengthen its relationship with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Erskine is truly providing academic excellence combined with Christian commitment. He has been the right man at the right time."

Carson hopes that "the people who came here to link their lives with Erskine's mission" constitute his greatest contribution as president.

"I have received the greatest satisfaction in seeing new students, faculty, staff, parents, donors, board members and others being drawn to Erskine and captivated by its qualities, lending their strength to the strength already present," he said.

Carson's own strength has been taxed during the past seven years. He said one of the surprises he encountered as president was "how demanding the job is."

"Dealing with budgets and personnel issues, attending meetings and writing reports, responding to accrediting agencies and higher education issues in government, and so much more has been wearing — especially without the stimulation of teaching and preaching," he said.

Carson said the multitude of responsibilities must be managed well. "The most important decision I make every day is what not to do," he said. "The challenge is to pick the most important task and stay with it until it has been completed."

One task that takes a lot of his time is fund-raising, and Carson admits it was one of the aspects of the job he dreaded most. But once he started, he made a welcome discovery. 

 "Erskine's best donors have made fund-raising surprisingly enjoyable," he said. "People who believe in Erskine — the alumni and also many who did not attend Erskine but whose lives have been affected by Erskine — are the greatest people in the world."

Erskine's Gold Campaign is the biggest fund-raising venture of Carson's presidency, and it is doing well, he said. "With two years remaining, the campaign goal is two-thirds complete — over $25.2 million raised toward a goal of $36.8 million."

The capital campaign, set to end in 2006, will go on after Carson leaves. "The Gold Campaign is not the Erskine president's campaign," he said. "It is Erskine's Campaign — the campaign of Erskine students, alumni, parents, friends, professors, and staff.

"I will continue to work for the Gold Campaign until it is successfully completed," he said. "This is not because I was president when it began, but because I believe in Erskine and its mission." 

The hard work has been worthwhile for Carson, who says Erskine's next president must be "the keeper of the vision," focused on Erskine's mission — Christian commitment and excellence in learning.

"Institutions today will cease to exist if they attempt to be all things to all people," he insists. "Erskine College's niche as the finest Christian liberal arts college in the South and Erskine Seminary's niche as a reformed, evangelical and ecumenical seminary which is effectively expanding beyond its region are — from a practical perspective — essential to institutional survival."

Dr. Luder G. Whitlock Jr., for more than 20 years president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla., and now president of Excelsis, an educational materials company, summarized what he believes Carson's tenure has meant for Erskine.

 "The distinguished presidency of John Carson, marked by visionary leadership and a steady hand, has assured a stronger, more influential role for Erskine College and Seminary in the 21st century," he said. "Highly esteemed and loved by all who have worked with him, the legacy of his too brief presidency will be celebrated for many years."

"John Carson has been an Erskine student, and Erskine faculty member, an Erskine trustee, an Erskine parent and an Erskine president," said Moore. "John and Sarah Ellen Carson live what Erskine College teaches."         

Carson believes his life's vocation is twofold. "The first is to preach and teach God's Word, and the second is to lead His people," he said.

"Without question, I discerned God's call to me to lead Erskine College and Seminary these last seven years," he said. "I now sense God giving me permission to move back to a more balanced calling which includes not only leadership but also preaching and teaching."

"Although some ministers who head colleges and seminaries have been able to balance these two callings, I have not," he said. "I miss the regular, in-depth study of the Bible and theology which is foundational to teaching and preaching."

Just as he believed his call to Erskine was clear, Carson now believes it is time to bring his time as president of the college and seminary to a close.

So, after completing his administrative duties over the next several months, Carson will take a break. "The first thing I need is rest before I make any decisions, and also retooling before I begin my next work," he said.

The vision for Erskine that Carson has articulated and worked toward remains close to his heart. "If it could be said that during my presidency, Jesus Christ was seen on campus — that He came to link His life with Erskine's life in the words and deeds of the Erskine family — this would be the greatest contribution which I could ever hope to achieve."

Carson, who was an E.B. Kennedy Scholar at Erskine, received the Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss., in 1973, and in 1988 received a doctoral degree from Aberdeen University in Scotland. He has served on many boards and committees of the ARP Church and was chairman of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council in 1991. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and co-editor of “To Glorify and Enjoy God,” published in 1994.

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