“Erskine was a long way from losing our accreditation. Nor was this warning any reflection on the caliber or viability of Erskine’s academic programs—no one’s Erskine degree was compromised or threatened by a one-year warning from SACS.”

The transition from his first to second year as president of Erskine College & Theological Seminary culminated in some very good news recently for Dr. David Norman.

That’s when Norman received the official letter from the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS) informing him that the school’s warning status had been completely removed, according to a news release from the college.

“This is excellent news and a testament to the hard work of our trustees and the spirit of reconciliation with the church over the past year,” said Norman.

Now the incoming freshmen have something to look forward to when they arrive on Aug. 26. Classes are scheduled to start on Aug. 31.

Before Norman took office, the regional accrediting organization placed Erskine on warning last June in response to concerns over governance issues between its board of trustees and its founding denomination, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP).

Significant effort, said Norman, was focused on addressing deficiencies in the institution’s bylaws regarding governance and relationship to the ARP.

“It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the recent revision of our bylaws,” Norman said. “The enormous time commitment made by the committee members has been one of the most significant gifts given to Erskine in recent years. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to them.”

Meanwhile, on campus, Dean of Students Dr. Bryan Rush was encouraged by the high student morale over the past year. “Students remained focused on learning and enjoying their college experience. They refused to allow outside noise to have a negative impact on their classroom or co-curricular experiences,” Rush said.

Erskine alumnus and Board of Trustees Chairman Joe Patrick ’95 took a practical, forward-looking view. “Having the warning officially removed with no other reporting required is a boost for our already recovering enrollment numbers,” Patrick said.

Still, other Erskine alumni who have been especially concerned about the underlying causes of the warning remain cautiously optimistic.

“I continue to have significant concerns,” said David Danehower ’74, who serves on Erskine’s alumni board and is an administrator for an alumni Facebook group.

“[The board] made great strides in defining the proper relationship between the college and the church….it is critical that all of Erskine’s constituencies — the Church, board, faculty, students and alumni — find a way to work together,” Danehower said.

According to Danehower, President Norman must be the catalyst to make that happen.