ARP Moderator’s Commission on Erskine College and Seminary

[Kindly provided from an anonymous email]

February 18, 2010

The Commission will recommend to Synod the adoption of the following amendments to the governance structure of Erskine College and Seminary:

1. Board Size and Composition
The Board, currently comprised of 6 classes of five at-large members each, plus four ex-officio members, is too large and unwieldy to be functional. The Board should be restructured to include five classes of three trustees each, plus the moderator of the General Synod in an ex-officio capacity. Current requirements for trustee eligibility should be carefully re-evaluated.

2. Board Policies
The Board of Trustees will be expected to adopt more effective policies to prevent further failures regarding financial integrity, conflicts of interest, integration of faith and learning, board training, etc., which are aligned with and advance the objectives set forth by Erskine’s current mission statements and the Synod’s Philosophy of Christian Higher Education.

3. Nomination Process
Because the Synod has final authority to appoint and remove trustees, the nomination of Board members, in the nature of the case, must begin with the Synod and not the board. To accomplish this, in the amended bylaws the second sentence of Paragraph 3 (“Composition of Board”) of Article II (“Powers and Composition of Board”), will be removed.

4. Revision of Bylaws
A drafting committee consisting of five members (three from the Moderator’s Commission on Erskine and two from the Erskine Board of Trustees) will amend the bylaws in accordance with these recommendations. The amended bylaws will be presented to the full Erskine Board for adoption at its May 2010 meeting and subsequently presented to the Synod for adoption at its June 2010 meeting.

5. Interim Board Action
Effective immediately and until June 2010 meeting of Synod, at which time the modified board will be installed and new policies implemented, the Board shall refrain from appointing executive vice presidents of granting tenure to faculty.