Erskine College

The information on this page was last updated 9/16/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

As one of the oldest and most prestigious church-related liberal arts colleges in the South, Erskine prizes academic rigor and Christian authenticity. Our graduates lead companies, influence professional fields, and make their mark on our culture in many other ways. An authentically Christian academic community as distinctive as the individuals who make it --- students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends --- where who you become is as important as what you learn.

Erskine College is located in Due West, a town of 1,200 residents located in historic Abbeville County, South Carolina, an area rich in colonial, Revolutionary War, and Civil War history. The town and the college, with a number of antebellum buildings, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An annual spring festival brings a large number of tourists to share in the cultural and historic heritage of the county.

Erskine's spacious 90-acre campus provides both classic and modern facilities. The signature towers of the Erskine Building are complemented by a state-of-the-art science facility and a new music and math education complex. Centrally located on the campus is the Bowie Arts Center, a modern museum and gallery. The Galloway Activities Center contains two gyms, racquetball courts, an aerobics/weight room, a climbing wall, and an athletic training facility. The literary societies, as old as the college, are located on campus. Students eat at an award-winning cafeteria and in campus cafes.

At Erskine, students are taught by professors, not graduate students, and the curriculum is based on the liberal arts tradition. Erskine is about mentoring and relational learning designed to spur greatness, enhance academic growth, and prepare tomorrow's leaders. Erskine is committed to providing a well-rounded educational experience designed to develop the whole person.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Erskine College
P.O. Box 338
Due West, SC 29639

Website: www.erskine.edu

Phone: 864-379-2131

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 570314390

CEO/President: Dr. Steven Adamson

Chairman: Michael Whitehurst

Board size: 19

Founder: Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church

Ruling year: 1942

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 06/30

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:


Purpose

Erskine College exists to equip students for lives of service and leadership, building Christ's Church and influencing society for God's glory.


Mission statement

The mission of Erskine College is to glorify God as a Christian academic community where students integrate knowledge and faith, equipped to flourish as whole persons prepared for lives of service, leadership, and influence through the pursuit of undergraduate liberal arts, graduate, and seminary education.


Statement of faith

1 - The Bible alone, being God-breathed, is the Word of God Written, infallible in all that it teaches, and inerrant in the original manuscripts.

2 - That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3 - In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Virgin Birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through the shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

4 - That for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

5 - In the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

6 - In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; that they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

7 - In the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Donor confidence score

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Transparency grade

D

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Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Colleges/Universities

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating165 of 11178 of 127
Fund acquisition rating406 of 111844 of 127
Resource allocation rating174 of 111812 of 127
Asset utilization rating370 of 111741 of 127

According to the organization's Form 990, it received $199,790 in government grants in 2024.


Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
13%10%15%11%9%6%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
2%1%1%1%1%1%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
16%11%6%8%8%9%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
2%1%1%1%1%1%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
84%89%94%92%92%91%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
84%91%89%86%86%87%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
98%100%107%98%102%101%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
82%91%96%84%88%88%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
2%0%-7%2%-2%-1%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
1%0%-6%2%-2%-1%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
13%8%10%13%13%12%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
0.530.630.670.650.560.57
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
2.642.421.712.011.902.14
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.441.531.151.301.061.22
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
7.9234.5521.2613.8115.2415.54
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.130.030.050.070.070.06
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
7.387.619.928.5810.599.21
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
24%30%28%28%27%30%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
11%24%21%20%19%21%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
151%111%107%112%130%123%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20242023202220212020
Cash$1,394,323$808,825$530,541$960,181$927,374
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$3,185,353$1,813,072$2,361,251$1,934,407$1,744,326
Short-term investments$25,737,970$37,524,466$31,940,498$39,562,441$32,048,939
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$30,317,646$40,146,363$34,832,290$42,457,029$34,720,639
Long-term investments$14,147,531$2,273,328$8,443,151$10,930,087$10,936,234
Fixed assets$27,481,391$25,306,348$25,773,513$26,283,453$27,613,500
Other long-term assets$1,274,170$938,936$938,936$927,936$984,203
Total long-term assets$42,903,092$28,518,612$35,155,600$38,141,476$39,533,937
Total assets$73,220,738$68,664,975$69,987,890$80,598,505$74,254,576
 
Liabilities20242023202220212020
Payables and accrued expenses$490,963$1,196,061$1,565,371$2,246,398$2,048,333
Other current liabilities$386,542$691,986$956,176$540,161$186,391
Total current liabilities$877,505$1,888,047$2,521,547$2,786,559$2,234,724
Debt$17,610,735$14,176,669$14,030,659$15,067,411$15,289,420
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$3,179,770$3,084,984$3,009,919$4,280,435$4,620,159
Total long-term liabilities$20,790,505$17,261,653$17,040,578$19,347,846$19,909,579
Total liabilities$21,668,010$19,149,700$19,562,125$22,134,405$22,144,303
 
Net assets20242023202220212020
Without donor restrictions$18,923,567$6,563,132$8,018,242$10,023,846$10,821,292
With donor restrictions$32,629,161$42,952,143$42,407,523$48,440,254$41,288,981
Net assets$51,552,728$49,515,275$50,425,765$58,464,100$52,110,273
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20242023202220212020
Total contributions$5,046,595$2,522,403$3,783,530$3,609,447$3,838,065
Program service revenue$39,350,808$39,331,291$38,103,174$37,062,620$36,316,115
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$1,465,456$1,332,508$4,273,158$3,191,432$1,717,075
Other revenue$698,438$34,396$50,808$40,019$40,938
Total other revenue$41,514,702$40,698,195$42,427,140$40,294,071$38,074,128
Total revenue$46,561,297$43,220,598$46,210,670$43,903,518$41,912,193
 
Expenses20242023202220212020
Program services$42,209,567$41,315,481$38,766,124$38,555,586$36,893,729
Management and general$3,743,876$4,601,178$5,971,858$6,062,870$5,228,330
Fundraising$481,276$386,349$432,869$326,254$220,830
Total expenses$46,434,719$46,303,008$45,170,851$44,944,710$42,342,889
 
Change in net assets20242023202220212020
Surplus (deficit)$126,578($3,082,410)$1,039,819($1,041,192)($430,696)
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$126,578($3,082,410)$1,039,819($1,041,192)($430,696)

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Dr Steve AdamsonPresident$271,464
Mr Mark L PeelerDirector of Athletics$195,676
Mr Darrell ProffittVP Finance, Treasurer$130,000
Mr Robert ClarkeVP Operations$128,992
Mrs NG JonesAssistant Secretary$61,057

Compensation data as of: 6/30/2024


Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.


The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 9/16/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

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.

Erskine played a significant role in the education of women. The Due West Female College (later Woman's College of Due West) 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.

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.

The Erskine Flying Fleet competes on the intercollegiate level as a member of the NCAA Division II (Conference Carolinas). This name "Flying Fleet" was adopted after Greenville News sportswriter Carter "Scoop" Latimer commented on Erskine's passing strategy in a 1929 football game. Football was dropped 1952 but was reinstated in 2019. In 2021, The Flying Fleet played its first football game in 70 years.

Erskine College has become known for providing excellent preparation for graduate and medical school, and for equipping students to lead in their professions and communities.

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 prepare students well for lives of service and leadership. In 2014, Erskine celebrated 175 years as a Christian academic community, and in Fall 2022, Erskine's student population topped 1,000 for the first time in the institution's history. 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.


Program accomplishments


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