Trustees meet on move-in day
The Erskine Board of Trustees gathered on the campus Thursday, August 17, conducting committee meetings in the morning as students were moving into residence halls for the fall semester. The main board meeting began in the afternoon.
“It was a very positive meeting. The board found much to be thankful for—above all, seeing nearly 200 new students coming onto the Erskine campus,” Board Chairman Sam James said.
The 2007 graduate, who is from Huntersville, N.C., and is married to Elizabeth Davis James ’08, noted that coming to the campus on move-in day “brings back memories of our time at Erskine” for board members who are alumni.
“I told some of the students how blessed they were to be starting what will be some of the best years of their lives. My wife and I have such fond memories of our four years in Due West,” he said.
“We are thankful for the leadership God has given us, as well as a growing endowment, up about $3 million from a year ago,” he said.
The board heard a report about the Charter Institute at Erskine, for which a board has been formed but which will not be accepting sponsorships for this fall. “We will be laying the groundwork,” James said.
A report from the seminary committee brought news of increased enrollment numbers at the seminary, including students who are military chaplains. According to Dr. Terry Eves, a member of the seminary faculty, Erskine’s reputation among military chaplains is “golden.” The committee also reported that the new Greenville site is up and running for the fall semester.
Board members heard an encouraging report on the Choraleers’ recent mission trip to Lithuania, where Erskine College students collaborated with World Witness, participating in a Lithuanian-American choir just before the annual synod of the Lithuanian Reformed Church.
The board is considering ways to increase student retention and satisfaction, and heard from faculty and staff about student recruitment. James stressed how important students are to board members and how happy the trustees were to see students arriving on campus.
“We pray that our students, whether they are in the seminary or in the college, grow in such a way that they will go out and do great things for the kingdom of God,” he said.
