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
Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 165 of 1117 | 8 of 127 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 406 of 1118 | 44 of 127 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 174 of 1118 | 12 of 127 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 370 of 1117 | 41 of 127 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $199,790 in government grants in 2024.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
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 ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
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 ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.53 | 0.63 | 0.67 | 0.65 | 0.56 | 0.57 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.64 | 2.42 | 1.71 | 2.01 | 1.90 | 2.14 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.44 | 1.53 | 1.15 | 1.30 | 1.06 | 1.22 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 7.92 | 34.55 | 21.26 | 13.81 | 15.24 | 15.54 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.13 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 7.38 | 7.61 | 9.92 | 8.58 | 10.59 | 9.21 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
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 | |||||
| Assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 |
| Liabilities | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 | |||||
| Revenue | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 |
| Expenses | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Dr Steve Adamson | President | $271,464 |
| Mr Mark L Peeler | Director of Athletics | $195,676 |
| Mr Darrell Proffitt | VP Finance, Treasurer | $130,000 |
| Mr Robert Clarke | VP Operations | $128,992 |
| Mrs NG Jones | Assistant 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.