Erskine College 
The information on this page was last updated 3/16/2023. 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 glorify God as a Christian academic community where students are equipped to flourish as whole persons for lives of service through the pursuit of undergraduate liberal arts and graduate theological education.
Mission statement
The mission of Erskine College is to equip students to flourish by providing an excellent liberal arts education in a Christ-centered environment where learning and biblical truth are integrated to develop the whole person.
Statement of faith
We are committed to honoring God in everything we do. We believe that our highest calling is to glorify and enjoy the God who made us. We believe that the only proper response to the grace of Christ is to love, trust, and obey him. And we seek, by the power of his Holy Spirit, to serve him and his Church.
We are committed to the authority of the Bible, the historic Christian faith, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. As an agency of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), the Seminary affirms with the ARP Church that "the Bible alone, being God-breathed, is the Word of God, written, infallible in all that it teaches, and inerrant in the original manuscripts." The Scriptures are the standard by which we evaluate faith, life, and ministry.
We are committed to the essential doctrines taught in the Bible and repeated in the great creeds and confessions of the Church throughout its history. In particular, we are committed to the gospel of salvation by God's grace alone, based entirely upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We seek to keep this message of God's grace at the heart of our teaching and to experience its reality in our lives and ministries.
We are committed to the Reformed tradition and especially to the doctrinal standards of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. We believe that this tradition best captures the teaching of the Scriptures. Yet we recognize that we did not come to this conviction by our own wisdom or insight, but by God's grace, and so we deal humbly, graciously, and respectfully with those who understand the Scriptures differently. We also recognize that we must continue to deepen our understanding of the Scriptures and to apply the insights of the Reformed tradition faithfully and thoughtfully to issues of faith, life, and ministry in a changing world.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 500 of 1074 | 60 of 130 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 631 of 1075 | 79 of 130 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 367 of 1075 | 45 of 130 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 557 of 1074 | 62 of 130 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 11% | 18% | 16% | 22% | 9% | 13% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 18% | 7% | 5% | 11% | 7% | 7% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 82% | 93% | 95% | 89% | 93% | 93% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 86% | 87% | 77% | 84% | 83% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 95% | 123% | 102% | 95% | 104% | 103% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 79% | 106% | 89% | 73% | 87% | 86% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 5% | -23% | -2% | 5% | -4% | -3% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 4% | -12% | -1% | 3% | -3% | -2% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 13% | 13% | 12% | 21% | 16% | 16% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.50 | 0.46 | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.43 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.66 | 1.94 | 2.24 | 2.34 | 2.27 | 2.18 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.54 | 0.89 | 1.00 | 1.07 | 1.05 | 0.94 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 7.30 | 15.86 | 20.38 | 20.59 | 20.30 | 19.68 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.14 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.41 | 12.58 | 11.39 | 10.69 | 10.89 | 12.12 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 25% | 29% | 28% | 27% | 29% | 29% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 15% | 18% | 18% | 16% | 17% | 17% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 143% | 154% | 162% | 160% | 153% | 164% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $2,294,870 | $1,918,654 | $812,211 | $770,140 | $970,652 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $1,216,245 | $1,518,006 | $1,047,611 | $1,012,519 | $828,823 |
| Short-term investments | $35,335,186 | $29,263,285 | $28,901,322 | $28,247,557 | $31,105,062 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $38,846,301 | $32,699,945 | $30,761,144 | $30,030,216 | $32,904,537 |
| Long-term investments | $9,945,940 | $12,874,376 | $13,371,411 | $11,685,630 | $11,914,779 |
| Fixed assets | $25,722,283 | $26,874,920 | $26,946,564 | $25,374,216 | $25,980,568 |
| Other long-term assets | $927,936 | $927,936 | $927,936 | $1,033,822 | $1,039,931 |
| Total long-term assets | $36,596,159 | $40,677,232 | $41,245,911 | $38,093,668 | $38,935,278 |
| Total assets | $75,442,460 | $73,377,177 | $72,007,055 | $68,123,884 | $71,839,815 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $2,037,970 | $955,752 | $952,159 | $895,059 | $1,050,957 |
| Other current liabilities | $411,252 | $648,586 | $541,982 | $584,522 | $620,623 |
| Total current liabilities | $2,449,222 | $1,604,338 | $1,494,141 | $1,479,581 | $1,671,580 |
| Debt | $13,943,633 | $13,080,749 | $11,754,708 | $11,775,849 | $12,461,379 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $5,553,866 | $5,762,611 | $6,082,398 | $6,827,941 | $6,841,557 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $19,497,499 | $18,843,360 | $17,837,106 | $18,603,790 | $19,302,936 |
| Total liabilities | $21,946,721 | $20,447,698 | $19,331,247 | $20,083,371 | $20,974,516 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Without donor restrictions | $11,477,052 | $15,166,656 | $16,178,940 | ($793,287) | $1,535,681 |
| With donor restrictions | $42,018,687 | $37,762,823 | $36,496,868 | $48,833,800 | $49,329,618 |
| Net assets | $53,495,739 | $52,929,479 | $52,675,808 | $48,040,513 | $50,865,299 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $1,982,682 | $1,554,141 | $3,892,137 | $2,129,239 | $2,169,163 |
| Program service revenue | $27,317,273 | $27,282,189 | $28,742,489 | $27,522,198 | $25,944,046 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | ($1,074,112) | $3,274,358 | $1,765,953 | $548,315 | $1,815,228 |
| Other revenue | $43,990 | $89,580 | $40,394 | $44,300 | $48,261 |
| Total other revenue | $26,287,151 | $30,646,127 | $30,548,836 | $28,114,813 | $27,807,535 |
| Total revenue | $28,269,833 | $32,200,268 | $34,440,973 | $30,244,052 | $29,976,698 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $29,853,570 | $28,623,412 | $25,165,153 | $26,393,665 | $25,790,279 |
| Management and general | $4,506,888 | $3,906,992 | $6,861,142 | $4,883,420 | $4,856,278 |
| Fundraising | $354,957 | $242,904 | $841,277 | $190,630 | $280,208 |
| Total expenses | $34,715,415 | $32,773,308 | $32,867,572 | $31,467,715 | $30,926,765 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($6,445,582) | ($573,040) | $1,573,401 | ($1,223,663) | ($950,067) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($6,445,582) | ($573,040) | $1,573,401 | ($1,223,663) | ($950,067) |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Dr Robert Gustafson | President | $168,081 |
| Dr RL Holmes | Provost of the Seminary | $71,300 |
| Dr J T Hellams Jr | Provost of the College | $57,773 |
| Mrs D S Hodge | Assistant Secretary | $51,234 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2019
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 3/16/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
In 2014, Erskine celebrated 175 years as a Christian academic community. 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 1835 and a seminary in 1837. This academy became Erskine College, the first four-year denominational college in South Carolina.
By the mid-19th century, Erskine had become a thriving regional college. Following the Civil 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 offered an improved venue for hosting renowned speakers and enhanced Erskine's continuing role as a cultural and educational center of the South Carolina Piedmont.
Erskine also played a leadership role in women's education in the state. The Due West Female College (later Due West Woman's College) was founded independently by ARP ministers and laymen in 1859, and came officially under the control of the ARP Church in 1904. Erskine College first began admitting transfer students from the women'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. Enrollment has remained between 500 and 600 for the past several decades, but increased to nearly 800 at the opening of the 2019-20 school year.
In an effort to share its heritage and resources with the wider church, Erskine Theological Seminary began offering courses outside of Due West in the 1980s as well as arranging class schedules to accommodate commuting students. Since that time, students from many other denominations - 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 Virtual Campus) in the 1990s. In 2010 the Columbia campus was approved to offer complete degree programs. Additionally, Erskine partners with local churches to serve students in Augusta, Charleston, Greenville, and Florence.
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. Additionally, these rankings reflect Erskine's placement among the top colleges in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), NCAA Division II, and the State of South Carolina.
Erskine College has become known for providing excellent preparation for graduate and medical schools, boasting exceptional acceptance rates for students pursuing graduate studies - nearly 100 percent for some programs.