Turmoil Over Erskine College Board

Leaders of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church voted Wednesday to fire most of the board of Erskine College, the church's only college, according to unofficial notes taken by some at the meeting and an account in The Index-Journal, a South Carolina newspaper. Church and college officials did not respond to inquiries late Wednesday about the latest developments in a dispute over the future of the college, a well regarded liberal arts institution where many faculty members believe their academic freedom may be endangered by the church's increasing involvement in educational decisions. The move by church leaders follows a study they commissioned that found that existing board members were not doing enough to make sure church views were dominant at the college. Interim board members were selected with the idea of a reconstituted board, more closely tied to the church, following.