Erskine College

Erskine College is a private Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate theological seminary. The college was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Its sports teams compete in NCAA Division II as a member of Conference Carolinas.

For the Wellington, New Zealand college, see Erskine College, Wellington.

Erskine College
MottoScienta cum Moribus Conjuncta
Motto in English
Knowledge joined with Morals
TypePrivate
Established1839 (1839)
Endowment$40.52 million
PresidentRobert E. Gustafson, Jr.
Academic staff
40 full-time
Students800[1]
Location
Due West
,
South Carolina
,
United States
CampusRural
ColorsGarnet and Gold          
NicknameFlying Fleet
AffiliationsAssociate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Websiteerskine.edu

History

Established in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Synod of the South as an academy for men, the college became the first four-year, church-related college in South Carolina. It was named for Ebenezer Erskine, one of the founders of one of the antecedent bodies of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and a pastor. Erskine had led a group of separatists from the Church of Scotland to found an Associate Presbytery.

Erskine began to admit women in 1894 and officially became coeducational in 1899. In 1927, it merged with Due West Female College, founded in 1859. In 1929, Bryson College closed and merged with Erskine College.[2][3]

On March 11, 2014, a website article on Outsports detailed the coming out of two male players on the college's volleyball team.[4] On February 27, 2015, Erskine College released a statement that students are expected to "follow the teachings of scripture concerning matters of human sexuality."[5][6][7][8]

Academics

Erskine College offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. Minors are offered in several other fields of study. A Christian Education concentration is offered within the Bible and Religion major and special minors are offered in Family Studies, Computer Science, Non-Western Studies, Theater, and Information Technology. The college also offers pre-professional programs in medicine, law, pharmacy, and dentistry. The student to faculty ratio is 12:1.[9]

Erskine is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It was placed on "Warning" status following its decennial accreditation review in December 2013.[10] The college's status was reviewed in December 2014, and the sanction was then escalated to "Probation" status, due to continued failure to comply with accreditation standards related to fiscal stability and institutional effectiveness in student learning outcomes.[11] SACSCOC removed all accreditation sanctions and reaffirmed Erskine’s regional accreditation in December 2015.

Athletics

Erksine College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Flying Fleet are a member of the Conference Carolinas. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track and field, and volleyball; while women's sports include acro and tumbling, basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.[12] Co-ed sports include bass fishing, e-sports, and rodeo.[13][14] On September 25, 2019, Erskine Athletic Director Mark Peeler announced the addition of a Cheerleading and Dance program beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.[15]

The Flying Fleet
Main article: Erskine Flying Fleet football

Back in 1896, Erskine College began its first American football team. They had very successful seasons between 1917 and 1921. During those seasons they had wins against Wofford, Presbyterian, South Carolina, Clemson, and the Citadel. One of the memorable games of Erskine's football team was against Furman University. It was during that game in 1929 that Erskine took on the name "The Flying Fleet", given to them by a Greenville reporter who was impressed by their passing performance. On October 18, 1948, they defeated Florida State 14–6. The Flying Fleet ended their football program in 1951.[16]

In 2018, Erskine College announced the return of the football program for the 2020 season competing as an Independent in NCAA Division II.[17][18][19][20] Shap Boyd is the head coach for the returning program.[21]

Major buildings
  • Administrative offices: Belk Hall, Watkins Student Center
  • Art buildings: Bowie Arts Center, Memorial Hall
  • Classrooms: Belk Hall, Reid Hall, Daniel Moultrie Science Center (DMSC)
  • Recreation: Galloway Center, the Hangar (under Lesesne Auditorium), pavilion, swimming pool, sand volleyball court
  • Men's housing: Bonner Hall, Grier Hall, Kennedy Hall, McQuiston Hall (Honors Housing), Pressly Hall[22]
  • Women's housing: Carnegie Hall, Edwards House (Honors Housing), Robinson Hall[22]
  • Co-ed housing: On-campus Apartments[22]
  • Dining services: Java City, Moffatt Dining Hall, Snappers
  • Erskine Towers: Flagship Building, old astronomical observatory and clock tower
  • Library: McCain Library, Reid Hall (archives)
  • Literary Society Halls: Euphemian Hall, Philomathean Hall

Notable alumni
Members of the class of 2007

See also

References
  1. "Trustees meet during first week of record-breaking semester". Erskine College. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. "Bryson College Memorial". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  3. "Erskine College: Hard To Find, Harder To Leave". Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  4. Zeigler, Cyd (March 11, 2014). "Rural South Carolina Div. II volleyball team has two out gay players". SB Nation. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  5. Laine, Samantha (February 27, 2015). "South Carolina college comes out against homosexuality". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  6. Washington Post (February 28, 2015). "South Carolina college denounces homosexuality after two volleyball players come out as gay". MSN. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  7. Foster, Patrick (February 27, 2015). "South Carolina college's statement ignites homosexuality furor". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  8. Geffen, Sasha (February 27, 2015). "This College In South Carolina Is Trying To Ban Students From Being Gay". MTV.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  9. "Academic Excellence". Erskine College. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  10. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (December 19, 2013). "Disclosure Statement Regarding the Status of ERSKINE COLLEGE" (PDF). Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  11. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (December 7, 2014). "Actions taken by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees December 7, 2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  12. "Erskine to Add Three Sports for the 2019-2020 Season". Erskine Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  13. "Brandon Oberle Selected to Start E-Sports Program". Erskine Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  14. "Erskine Adds Bass Fishing". Erskine Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  15. "Erskine Announces Addition of Cheerleading/Dance". Erskine Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  16. "Erskine Bringing Back Football for 2020 Season". Erskine Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  17. https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/coolest-college-helmets-in-sc-erskine-football-relaunches-program-dormant/article_21e0740a-053f-11e9-a4d8-57eda83140b3.html
  18. Sapakoff, Gene (October 27, 2016). "Sapakoff: The night tiny Erskine College beat Florida State in football". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  19. "1921 Erskine The Flying Fleet Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  20. Alishan (December 9, 2011). "A Proud History of Athletics". www.erskinecollegesports.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  21. "Shap Boyd Officially Named Head Football Coach", Erskine Athletics, November 15, 2018
  22. "Residence Life - Erskine College". Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  23. 'Pioneer Jude Taken By Death,' Arizona Daily Star, July 21, 1933, pg.1
  24. WSPA Staff. "Greenville Attorney Ervin To Face Gov. Haley In Republican Primary". WSPA-TV. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  25. "Joseph Rodney Moss : Memory Hold The Door | University of South Carolina School of Law". law.sc.edu. 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.

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