Erskine College was founded by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian 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.[5] It was named for Ebenezer Erskine, a pastor and one of the founders of one of the antecedent bodies of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Erskine had led a group of separatists from the Church of Scotland to found an Associate Presbytery.
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.[5]
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. In 2014, Erskine celebrated 175 years as a Christian academic community, and in the 2022–2023 school year, enrollment was at an all-time high of 830 undergraduate and 137 graduate seminary students.[5]
On March 11, 2014, a website article on Outsports detailed the coming out of two gay male players on the college's volleyball team.[8] On February 27, 2015, Erskine College released a statement that students are expected to "follow the teachings of scripture concerning matters of human sexuality."[9][10][11][12]
Accreditation issues
Erskine was placed on "warning" status by its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, following its decennial accreditation review in December 2013.[13] 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.[14] SACSCOC removed all accreditation sanctions and reaffirmed Erskine's regional accreditation in December 2015.
In 2023, Erskine was once again placed on "warning" status following review. SACS cited financial issues and board control as determining factors. Steve Adamson, president of Erskine, said he fully expected "to have the warning lifted in December 2023 and the institution’s reaffirmation granted."[15] However, in December 2023, Erskine was continued on warning status.[16]
Charter schools
In 2017, Erskine College began sponsoring charter schools in South Carolina through the Charter Institute at Erskine.[17] The president of Erskine College serves as the chairman of the institute, while Cameron Runyan serves as superintendent and CEO.[18][19]
The Charter Institute attracted media attention in 2024, when it formed Teach Right USA, a nonprofit which shares leadership with the institute and sought to found charter schools sponsored by the institute.[20] Through the nonprofit, leaders of the institute explored starting charter schools in Tennessee. State legislators requested information to determine of state funds or hours were used in the endeavor.[21]
In 2021, Erskine College loaned one million dollars to a for-profit charter school management organization, which defaulted on their loan, ultimately only repaying $35,000. The transaction was not made public until 2024, when Erskine filed a lawsuit seeking to recover the full amount.[22]
Erskine College offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Minors are offered in several 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, and Information Technology. The college also offers pre-professional programs in medicine, law, pharmacy, and dentistry. The student to faculty ratio is 15:1.[28]
Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track and field, and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.[29] Co-educational sports include bass fishing, e-sports, and rodeo.[30]
In 1896, Erskine College began its first American football team. They had successful seasons between 1917 and 1921. During those seasons they had wins against Wofford, Presbyterian, South Carolina, Clemson, and the Citadel. Notably, it was during a game against Furman University in 1929 that Erskine was first referred to as "The Flying Fleet", a nickname 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.[31]
In 2018, Erskine College announced the return of the football program for the 2020 season competing as an Independent in NCAA Division II.[32][33][34][35] In 2021, The Flying Fleet played its first football game in 70 years.[5]
