President’s Gala 2024 festivities included art show preview, private concert
Alumni and friends joined Erskine President Dr. Steve Adamson and First Lady Von Adamson Feb. 23 for this year’s President’s Gala in the Bowie Arts Center. The event included an elegant dinner, an art show preview, and a private concert.
Paul Bell, vice president for advancement and alumni relations, introduced the president, describing the progression of Adamson’s career from the business world to ministry to higher education. Bell said that “the Designer of that career had been preparing him all the way” for his role at Erskine College.
Adamson told attendees that the President’s Gala is “our chance to thank you,” the alumni and friends who support the college and make up an important part of the Erskine family. “Community is the hallmark of Erskine College,” he said.
Highlighting recent growth and development at the school, Adamson said that college and seminary enrollment stands at more than a thousand students, and Erskine is poised to finish its fiscal year “with very positive results.” In the fall of 2023, the college added six new degree programs and launched the Honors Institute at Erskine. Students in the honors program are prepared to defend the gospel and learn to embrace truth, beauty, and goodness in the works they study.
The college recently began implementing a worldview survey, Adamson said, which will provide a clearer understanding of what students believe. The results will help to shape curricular changes as the college fulfills its mission of teaching students to “integrate knowledge and faith.”
Adamson emphasized the significant role Erskine’s alumni and friends play in the life of the college, saying that he hoped Gala attendees would gain a renewed appreciation for “just how critical—just how essential—your support is.”
Bell also expressed thanks to donors in the evening’s program. “Your generous financial support, prayers, acts of service, and words of encouragement work together to touch the lives of every individual on this campus,” he said. “As people go out from Erskine equipped to serve others, the impact of your gifts extends throughout the world.”
Guests at the Gala enjoyed a preview of the Bowie Arts Center’s upcoming art show, “Jubilant Fields & Captivated Heights,” which opens officially March 9. The show features original works by Brian Hibbard, Alyssa Martin, Steve Sniteman, Yuriy Somov, and Zakhar Somov.
Adamson also invited attendees to join him and his wife Von on Erskine’s upcoming Scotland study tour, scheduled for June.
Following the Gala dinner, guests attended a private concert given by acclaimed singer Edwin McCain in Memorial Hall. McCain performed favorites such as “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More” and entertained concertgoers with his humor. He received a standing ovation and performed as an encore “See Off This Mountain.”
This year’s President’s Gala was the fourth that Erskine has hosted in recent years.
See more photos at the grid below and here.
From left, Jackie and David Walker chat with the Adamsons.
Erskine senior Neal Blank talks with Gala attendees.
