Students Say Christian Higher Education Is Popular Middle Ground

By Nicki Herlovich
Class of 2002

Member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) — including Erskine College — have seen a surge in enrollment in recent years, an increase that far exceeds that of other private and public institutions across the country.

From 1990-97, enrollment of full-time undergraduate students in the CCCU rose by 32 percent, compared to an increase of just four percent among the same population in public and private American colleges.

No one phenomenon can account for this huge attraction to Christain institutions. However, those individuals who are most closely affiliated with these institutions — the students — offer the best explanation of the appeal that these schools possess.

Brooke Johnson, an Erskine freshman, believes that students want to attend Christian schools like Erskine because they are looking for guidance in their educational and spiritual lives.

"People go to college, in part, to find themselves, and Christian schools like Erskine give the guidance that many people are looking for," she said. "If you ask anyone why they came to Erskine, they will tell you they came because of the people here. Everyone — professors and students — cares so genuinely and really wants to give you guidance. I tell my parents that the atmosphere is so friendly here it's like summer camp."

According to Monty Wooley, Erskine Vice President for Student Services and a 1967 Erskine graduate, "The events going on in the world today, like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, make our youth want to do something to better our world. With the increase in technology, young people are more aware of the nature of our world, and that awareness encourages students to get involved."

Dr. Robyn Agnew, Dean of Students at Erskine and a 1984 Erskine graduate, said "The pendulum is swinging back in our society, so that parents and students are looking for a safer environment."

Wooley agrees, saying that the safe havens that Christian schools offer are a major reason why students attend Christian colleges. Others attribute the increase in student population at these schools to a deeper spiritual yearning that permeates our society.

"One of the characteristics of our Generation 'Y' is that we are curious about the reality of God," says Peter Bechtel, an Erskine College sophomore. "Americans in general are exposed to many religions and we are curious about all of those religions. That exposure leads to curiosity for the truth, and one can explore more of the characteristics of these religions in a Christian atmosphere."

Agnew, recalling her days as a student at Erskine, said, "The examples and guidance presented to me by other students and the professors were the main reasons why I was able to grow in my faith at Erskine. Even though I was at a Christian school, I didn't have the religion spoon fed to me. The examples presented to me, especially by Dr. (History Professor Dr. Jim) Gettys, gave me the abilities that I needed to explore my spirituality."

The supportive "Erskine Family" is a phrase that Erskine College recruiters talk about. For many Americans, the idea of the extended family that can be found at many Christian schools is real and appealing.

"Extended families don't exist anymore," said Gina Berthold, an Erskine College senior. "Aunts, uncles, and grandparents live in different cities, if not different states. So, people are looking elsewhere for that close-knit family.

"When I came here for scholarship interviews my senior year in high school, the president of the college invited me and the other EBK finalists into his home," she said. "We played charades and he and his wife baked cookies for us. When I came back to the campus for a visitation later that year, the president of the college remembered me, the little high school kid."

The community and family spirit that is fostered at Christian schools attracts students from all over the nation and the world.

"The people at Erskine went above and beyond to accommodate me during my visitations here," says Esther Udall, an Erskine freshman who came from Utah to attend Erskine. "I didn't have a car, so the admissions office sent someone to the airport to pick me up when I came to visit."

In addition to the spiritual and community environment that Christian schools tend to create, the academic programs and standards of these schools attract many students.

"I think Christian schools have an advantage academically because students can have relationships with their professors," said Will York , an Erskine junior. "At Erskine especially, I think we have an advantage because our professors are real professors, not just graduate students working on their Ph.D's."

Berthold said, "When I was looking for a college, I wanted a school where I could have actual relationships with my professors. I got to meet the biology department, and they had such an awesome reputation with graduate and medical schools. I was really impressed with the admission statistics Erskine graduates held at graduate schools. Plus, the professors were truly interested in where I would allow my degree to take me at the end of my four years here."

The fact that Christian colleges exist somewhere between the world of a secular institution and that of a Bible college is also a factor in the increasing popularity of Christian institutions.

"People are scared of the restrictions on learning and social activities from Bible colleges, but also don't want to get lost in a world of non-Christian statements and images," Berthold said. "So, the fact that colleges like Erskine are in the middle ground makes them very appealing."

Kelly Beam, an Erskine College senior, said, "At middle ground colleges students are not pressured to party all of the time, but are not pressured to read the Bible all of the time either."

Agnew agrees. She said, "Middle ground schools like Erskine create environments that are not coercive, but are solidly clear about the religion and academics that are represented."

Whether or not Erskine is maintaining this middle ground is a question among the student body that evokes an array of responses.

"The opportunities that allow students to participate in religion seem to be growing," says Beam. "Erskine does seem to be moving more towards religion, but that move seems to be led by certain student organizations, rather than by the administration. The administration just seems to be supportive of that movement."

Agnew feels that Erskine is not moving toward either end of the collegiate institutional spectrum.

"We've clearly defined our mission to encourage Christianity and academics, so it only feels like we've moved towards becoming a Bible college," she said. "Erskine still allows most of the freedoms of any public, secular institution, in addition to providing a spiritual environment. We are a middle ground institution that is recognizing a Christian emphasis and an academic emphasis, and I think the administration of Erskine wants the college to stay in that middle ground."