Erskine President Dr. Steve C. Adamson was educated at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in mathematics. He did doctoral work in operations research at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; completed an M.Div. degree at Sangre de Cristo Seminary, Westcliffe, Colorado; and was awarded a Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Adamson most recently served as provost and executive vice president at Arizona Christian University. He has garnered 18 years of experience in higher education, including academic administration, and spent more than 15 years in the corporate world.

All Week

Dr. and Mrs. Adamson’s Favorite Reads

McCain Library

Monday, September 19

Day of Service

Due West

8:00 PM | 2022 President’s Cup Debate

Memorial Hall | open to the public | view video

Tuesday, September 20

11:00 AM | Chapel with Dr. Adamson

Lesesne Auditorium | read recap

5:30 PM | Strategic Initiative Announcement

Bowie Chapel | open to the public | view video | read recap

Wednesday, September 21

4:30 – 6:30 PM | “Redemption” Art Show & Opening Reception

Bowie Arts Center | open to the public

7:00 PM | Community Prayer Service

Terrace of Bowie Arts Center | open to the public

Thursday, September 22

10 AM – Noon | Coffee, Cookies, and Conversation

Alumni House | open to the public

5:30 – 7:00 PM | Academic Symposium: Erskine Then and Now

Founders Room | open to the public | view video

7:30 PM | The Mac Frampton Trio, featuring Mac Frampton ’66, in Concert

Memorial Hall

Friday, September 23

12:30 – 2:30 PM | Community Celebration

Picnic on the Mall | open to the public

4:00 PM | Procession and Installation Ceremony, followed by a reception under the Towers

Due West ARP Church | open to the public | view video | read recap

Erskine’s Early Years

Erskine College was founded by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church in 1839. Prior to this time the church had established an academy for men in Due West, S.C., in 1835, and a seminary in 1837. The academy became Erskine College, the first four-year church-related college in South Carolina.

By the time of the Civil War, Erskine had become one of the thriving colleges of the region with more than 100 students enrolled. Following the war, loyal supporters rebuilt the endowment wiped out by the conflict. They also financed construction of the Erskine Building and established Chairs in Chemistry and English Literature under widely respected professors. These professors helped Erskine establish a reputation for academic excellence as the college moved from the classical to the liberal arts curriculum.

Also enhancing this reputation were the Erskine literary societies, as old as the college, which trained championship debaters and supplemented speech and literary training. The large auditorium constructed in 1892 brought renowned speakers to Erskine and continued Erskine’s role as a cultural and educational center of the South Carolina Piedmont.

Into the 20th Century

Erskine played a significant role in the education of women. The Due West Female College (later Due West Woman’s College) was founded independently by ARP ministers and laymen in 1859 and came under the oversight of the ARP Church in 1904. Erskine College first began admitting transfer students from the Woman’s College in 1894 and became officially coeducational in 1899.

A planned merger of the college, the seminary, and the Due West Woman’s College paved the way for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges in 1925. By 1927 the three schools had merged into one institution called Erskine College, with the seminary serving as its graduate theological school.

During World War II Erskine served as a cadet training school for the United States Army Air Corps. A substantial enrollment effort in the late 1950s brought Erskine’s undergraduate enrollment to over 700 students throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s.

Expansion and Growth

Erskine Theological Seminary began offering courses at off-campus locations in the 1980s as well as arranging class schedules to accommodate commuting students. Since that time, students from many backgrounds — Presbyterian, Baptist, AME, Methodist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational — have joined students from the ARP Church to receive training for ministry. The Seminary launched its distance education program (now Erskine Online) in the 1990s. In 2010 the Columbia campus was approved to offer complete degree programs.

In 2014, Erskine celebrated 175 years as a Christian academic community, and in the 2019-20 school year, enrollment hit an all-time high of around 800 students. In recent years, Erskine has been consistently ranked nationally among the best liberal arts colleges by various listings, including U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Athletics at Erskine

Erskine competes in 24 sports as The Flying Fleet. This name was adopted after Greenville News sportswriter Carter “Scoop” Latimer commented on Erskine’s passing strategy in a 1929 football game. Football was dropped in 1952 but was reinstated in 2019. In 2021, The Flying Fleet played its first football game in 70 years.

Erskine competes dually on the intercollegiate level as a member of the NCAA Division II (Conference Carolinas) and as a member of the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA).

A Promising Future

Erskine College has become known for providing excellent preparation for graduate and medical school, boasting exceptional acceptance rates for students pursuing graduate studies — nearly 100 percent for some programs.

Erskine continues to grow and thrive in today’s atmosphere of accelerating change. Affirming the Christian faith on which Erskine was founded, we remain dedicated to offering an education that will equip students well for lives of service and leadership.

Please direct all media inquiries to Erskine’s Marketing & Communications office.

Email: communications@erskine.edu

Phone: Joyce Guyette, Senior Editor for Marketing and Communications: 864-379-8858.