“The extended Erskine family came together in some special ways this past year,” Kooistra said. “We had to make some tough decisions that really affected our faculty and staff. I am thankful for their continued commitment to Erskine’s mission in the midst of these challenges. And, of course, we are grateful to our alumni and friends for their continued support.”

Erskine President Dr. Paul Kooistra announced on December 8 that Erskine College and Seminary has received full reaffirmation of its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

“This is very good news,” Kooistra said. “We demonstrated our commitment to ensuring Erskine’s long-term financial stability and sustainability, and SACSCOC recognized that.”

In the fall of 2014, just a few weeks into Kooistra’s arrival and under his leadership, Erskine implemented a comprehensive two-year financial plan designed to address a SACSCOC concern regarding financial stability indicators.

The first year of the plan, which concluded in June, proved successful. With the single exception of returns in the stock market, Erskine met or exceeded the plan’s goals, including nearly $130,000 more in gifts to the Erskine Annual Fund than expected.

“The extended Erskine family came together in some special ways this past year,” Kooistra said. “We had to make some tough decisions that really affected our faculty and staff. I am thankful for their continued commitment to Erskine’s mission in the midst of these challenges. And, of course, we are grateful to our alumni and friends for their continued support.”

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Brad Christie added his perspective on the news, saying, “Our continued accreditation is, of course, an essential factor in the quality and value we offer our students and their families. While Erskine has remained continuously accredited since 1927, this reaffirmation and the removal of any type of sanction will allow us to continue pursuing our mission as a Christian liberal arts college without that distraction.”

With the second year of the two-year plan nearing its midpoint, indications are that Erskine will meet its goals once more by the end of the fiscal year in June 2016. Erskine will include a monitoring report on its financial stability indicators as part of its regularly scheduled midpoint review with SACSCOC in the fall of 2017.

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