Death Spiral

Whupsie . . .

Those new pilots at the stick . . .

 

Charting the Future: The Christian™ Liberal Arts College

The previous post (“A Frank Conversation”) touched two kinds of liberal arts college for Erskine. Here in blue is the relevant paragraph from the article (“What’s Going On At Erskine: A Perspective From the Current Administration”) and in red the responding paragraph: 

The term “Christian liberal arts college” was commonly used, but the differences between a Christian liberal arts college and a church-affiliated college were not widely explained to Erskine’s alumni and friends as they might have been if the new direction were a more dramatic change. However, there is enough of a fundamental distinction between these two strategies that it has created some differences between the Erskine students experience today and the Erskine many alumni remember. (See “Types of Colleges Compared” below.)

Oh, piffle. The writer is making up definitions and descriptions to fit his argument. There are no generally accepted definitions for those two terms. If we want to use them, we — that is the administration and the alumni — would have to come to some agreement about the terms before the discussions could begin, and even then they would be only stipulative definitions, that is, definitions that we all agree to so we can have a discussion. Beyond that discussion, the definitions do not hold.

The article refers us to a chart (“See “Types of Colleges Compared” below”) which illustrate “some differences between the Erskine students experience today and the Erskine many alumni remember” and points to the current Erskine as being a Christian Liberal Arts College.

A Frank Conversation?

 The theme of the current issue of InsidErskine is stated on the cover: “Gaining Perspective: A Frank Conversation About What’s Going On At Erskine.”

  The article “What’s Going On At Erskine” reflects the cover theme and is therefore the key article in the magazine. The purpose of this article is stated in the last sentence of the second paragraph of the introduction: “Our purpose here is not to recount or analyze the specific circumstances, but to provide a broader perspective and look to the future in the hope of working to restore trust.” 

The target audience for the article and the magazine are Erskine alumni. The goals of the article are to “provide a broader perspective” to the alumni and to “restore trust” with the alumni. The article’s goal, then, is to persuade the alumni to be more trusting of the administration by offering a broader perspective.

Let’s look at the substance of the article. The article is in blue, analysis in black.

Oh, the article calls itself “a conversation.” Actually, it is monologue. What follows is a conversation.

What’s Going On At Erskine? Perspective or PR?

    A point of discussion on the Erskine alumni Facebook sites has been the anonymous article which appeared in the most recent issue of InsideErskine. The article offers, it says, “a perspective from the current administration.” That perspective seems to me, with decades more time at Erskine than anyone in that current administration, more PR than perspective.

    For those who have not seen the article, the text is reprinted below. In future posts I will examine the article section by section and examine its claims closely.

 

What’s Going On At Erskine? 

A Perspective from the Current Administration

Through the years, there have been several seasons when various groups who have an interest in Erskine College & Theological Seminary have disagreed on some aspect of the institution’s policies or direction. Still, for the better part of two centuries, God has been faithful to preserve Erskine. And that is cause for great hope and expectation.

from September 2011

Index-Journal, September 8, 2011 

Erskine dismisses English professor

2009-10 professor of the year fired by Due West institution; school won’t discuss details

By MICHELLE LAXER

Erskine College fired a tenured English professor Wednesday morning, an unusual and rare move for a higher education institution.

Bill Crenshaw, a 35-year employee at the school, was dismissed after Erskine President David Norman suspended him from teaching classes at the beginning of August.

The college’s Chief Communications Officer, Cliff Smith, said he could not comment on the details of Crenshaw’s firing, citing privacy in the school’s policies.

Smith did acknowledge firing a tenured professor is a big step.

“We’re doing what’s in the best interest of Erskine and doing it in the way we can respect Dr. Crenshaw, the Erskine faculty and our board of trustees,” Smith said.

Smith said Norman was unavailable for comment.