Editor’s Note: In 2006, Student Government Association Vice-President Catherine Tolbert wrote the following letter to the Erskine Board of Trustees to express her concerns about a then-candidate for the Presidency of Erskine. Our concerns about the direction of the Erskine system are not new. Ms. Tolbert’s letter is reprinted here with her permission.

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August 25, 2006

Dear Erskine College Board of Trustees:

I, as a representative of Erskine’s student body, was given the privilege of having dinner with a group of Erskine faculty, board members, students, and a Presidential candidate, [Name Removed -Eds.] . The following paragraphs are a synopsis of my original evaluation of [Name Removed -Eds.], along with some thoughts I have pondered since that evening:

In the areas of experience and credentials, I believe [Name Removed -Eds.] has the credentials necessary to be the president of a college. He also has the general experience that would be most helpful to a college president, but that does not, in itself, make him qualified to be the president of Erskine College. We need a president who is not just a strong leader, but who is a strong Christian leader. I feel that [Name Removed -Eds.] did not display strong Christian leadership skills during our roundtable discussion after the evening meal.

First of all, I do not have any clue what [Name Removed -Eds.] believes as a result of our roundtable discussion. [Name Removed -Eds.] stated that he is a Christian, but I believe that he skirted the issues when it came to Reformed theology. His main comment about the Reformed faith was that he felt “comfortable” with it. I do not want the leader of Erskine College, the higher education institution of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, to be just “comfortable” with its founding principles and beliefs.

Another lack of leadership was displayed in [Name Removed -Eds.]‘s response to a question posed by Jimmy Turner, another Erskine student. [Name Removed -Eds.] would not address Mr. Turner’s question posed about what he plans to do to change the negative aspects of Erskine College. [Name Removed -Eds.] has been informed of the problems faced by Erskine and he had the opportunity to answer, but did not take it. As a strong leader, [Name Removed -Eds.] should have taken this opportunity to specifically give us an idea of his vision for Erskine College and how he plans to lead us to our full potential as a Christian institution of higher learning and as a community of believers.

In the survey following the evening, I was asked what I think motivated [Name Removed -Eds.] to want to come to Erskine. I believe that he would relate to the Erskine community because it is similar to the area where he has worked in the past. This is encouraging because [Name Removed -Eds.] could identify with the positives and negatives of a small college in a small rural town.

Caution was the dominant theme of the evening that we spent with [Name Removed -Eds.]. As I have stated, [Name Removed -Eds.] did not answer many of the questions posed and I would like to have him answer these questions so I can better assess his ability to be President of Erskine College. As of right now, I do not believe that [Name Removed -Eds.] is the right candidate for the job of President of Erskine College. We need a President who can confidently lead Erskine by knowing and whole-heartedly believing in the mission and values of Erskine College.

Sincerely,

Catherine E. Tolbert
Vice President
Student Government Association