(left to right) Bill Patrick, Dr. John Carson

Erskine Board Chairman Bill Patrick Leaves College And Seminary "In Best Position Ever"

The Erskine College Board of Trustees bid farewell to outgoing Chairman Bill Patrick at its May meeting Friday, thanking the Greenwood attorney for his leadership and for leaving the college and seminary "in the best position it has ever been in."

Patrick, whose Board term expires June 30, is a 1966 Erskine College graduate who has served as Chairman since 1997, following a previous term as chairman from 1991 to 1995.

"Bill Patrick received the trust of this college, he preserved it, and passes it on improved," said the Rev. Dr. Mark Ross, a trustee from Columbia.

Trustee Gilbert Rowell of Lancaster said, "Our chairman has been tested by fire and has been faithful. He stood up and showed us the way."

Erskine President Dr. John Carson agreed. "There is no salary for being a trustee, it is all about giving and being faithful, and Bill Patrick has been all those things.

"This is a bittersweet moment," Carson said. "There could not be a better trustee chair to work with. Bill Patrick made my job so much easier, and I think I can say the same thing as a representative of the entire Erskine student body, staff, and faculty."

The trustees passed a resolution recognizing Patrick as the "epitome of the institution’s mission and purpose."

Patrick attended Erskine College from 1962-1966 and was President of the Student Government Association, where he, according to the resolution, "exemplified responsible living, service and ministry to his fellow classmates while receiving Christian training and guidance."

After establishing a successful law career in Greenwood, Patrick served on the Erskine Board of Counselors from 1978-1982, receiving the Chairman’s Award in 1983.

The resolution also said Patrick "provided invaluable leadership, guidance and counsel to Erskine in connection with management, administration, financial planning, recruiting, marketing, and long-range development."

The resolution concluded, "The board of trustees of Erskine College and Seminary does hereby formally express its gratitude and appreciation for the many years of dedication and support received by the institution from William B. Patrick, Jr., and does hereby bestow and grant upon him the irrevocable trust of each member of the Board, the administration, the faculty, the student body, and the entire Erskine Family."

Patrick left the Board with several suggestions and comments, including his assessment of where Erskine is now.

"I can say this as a flat statement," Patrick said. "Erskine is in the best position it has ever been in.

"We are not perfect, but we have excellent leadership from a presidential standpoint and on this Board, we have an excellent faculty in the college and in the seminary, our facilities are clearly in the best shape ever, attitudes are great, the relationship with the (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) church (Erskine’s sponsoring denomination) is excellent, and people are pulling together with a teamwork approach," he said.

"I think we have done an excellent job as an institution at keeping our eye on the ball when it comes to enrollment, but we need to start looking clearly at the next ball that’s coming and that is development," Patrick said. "If Erskine is going to reach the next level, development has to be at the forefront of what we are doing, and that starts with good, measurable goals over a long-term horizon."

Patrick said the establishment of the planned Drummond Center at Erskine for political leadership and statesmanship has "the most potential future benefit of anything I can see on the radar screen."

Attorney John Moore of Columbia was elected to follow Patrick as chairman of the Erskine Board, trustee Crosland Stuart was elected Vice Chairman and trustee Allen Derrick was elected Secretary.

Also at the meeting, the Board:

•heard a report that Paul Patrick, a graduate of Clemson University and Erskine Seminary, has been named the new Chaplain at Erskine;

•heard a report that the upcoming Erskine campaign will be publicly announced next summer, will run through December of 2006, and that the campaign, currently in its Silent Phase, has already raised $9 million and will be led by Co-Chairs Joe and Kathy Black of Denver;

•heard a report that dorm renovations are under way at Carnegie Dorm for freshman females and Pressly Dorm for upperclassman males;

•heard a report that the college endowment is $40.7 million;

•approved the hiring of Jerdone Davis as Instructor in Christian Education at Erskine Seminary;

•approved Dr. Richard Burnett as Director of the Doctor of Ministry program and assistant professor at Erskine Seminary;

•accepted gifts of more than $200,000 for the endowment fund for scholarships, in estate gifts, to establish awards, and to establish a cultural studies fund.

Monty Wooley and John Moore hold
up a "Happy Bill Patrick's Day" sign

(left to right) Bill Patrick, John Moore