Winthrop's Record of Excellence Achieved

A record of third-party verifications of Winthrop's excellence.
	U.S. News 2013 Best College Winthrop University was named to U.S.News & World Report's Top Ten Regional Public Universities in the South in the magazine's "America's Best Colleges" 2013 edition. It is the 21st time this publication has chosen Winthrop for inclusion in its listings. Read more.
	Barron's Best Buys The college guidebook, Barron's Best Buys (ninth edition), includes Winthrop in its compilation. The guide looks beyond the nation's best-known and most expensive four-year colleges to discover schools where the education dollar goes further.
	A Wise Choice for Value Great value plus rewarding academic and social experiences led WiseChoice Research to include Winthrop in its list of Top Ten Value Schools that provide the "best bang for the buck." Read more.
	Princeton Review Best Southeastern College The Princeton Review rated Winthrop among its "Best Southeastern Colleges" in its 2013 edition, based on academic excellence and what students report about their college experiences. Winthrop has been included in the regional guidebook since its initial publication in 2003. Read more.
	Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges The Princeton Review’s "Guide to 322 Green Colleges" profiles Winthrop in its fourth annual edition, praising the university’s impressive resumé of green-related affiliations and accreditations and for putting its “Live. Learn. Lead.” motto to action in its sustainability efforts. Read more.
	Beating the Odds Winthrop was among 32 postsecondary institutions – and the only South Carolina institution – recognized nationally for "beating the odds" in helping students, particularly minority students, most prone to dropping out of college stay on track toward graduation. In a fall 2011 report developed with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Winthrop was singled out for its efforts to improve college completion rates and prepare students for successful careers.
	President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) named Winthrop University as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. The CNCS included Winthrop in its 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the eighth consecutive time Winthrop has made the list. Read more.
	Association of American Colleges and Universities Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility Winthrop University is one of only 23 institutions from across all sectors of U.S. higher education comprising the AAC&U Core Commitments Leadership Consortium, which is designed to bring together the most promising institutional practices related to educating students for personal and social responsibility as well as to deepen and extend these efforts.
	National Survey of Student Engagement In the 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement, Winthrop first-year students and seniors self-reported higher than their peers on academic challenge, active learning, faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and a supportive campus environment. The university uses the NSSE results to help guide continuous improvement in student persistence and success.
	S.C. Commission on Higher Education Winthrop has been recognized as the state's top-rated university in the S.C. Commission on Higher Education's performance-rating accountability system. After exceeding standards every year since the rating system began, the university has reached a new pinnacle by scoring substantially exceeds standards every year that the rating existed. Winthrop's unmatched record of sustained high performance is reflected its 100 percent national accreditation in all academic areas for which such accreditation is available. View a list of individual program accreditations.
	College and Character: The John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation includes Winthrop University in its Templeton Guide: "Colleges That Encourage Character Development," which profiles higher education programs that 'inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives.'
	Education Commission of the States The Education Commission of the States has called Winthrop University "an excellent example of a campus committed to both quality and diversity." In addition, the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission has ranked Winthrop among the most successful state-supported institutions of higher education in meeting equal opportunity and affirmative action goals.
	National Association for Campus Activities Winthrop's DiGiorgio Student Union Program Board four times has been ranked best in the nation for the quality and variety of programming-including both lecturers and entertainers-that it brings to the campus annually.
South Carolina Organization for Residence Education	The South Carolina Organization for Residence Education The South Carolina Organization for Residence Education has named Winthrop University "School of the Year" because of the Resident Students Association's exemplary work for five consecutive years (2001-2005) and again in 2009 when the award was reinstated. Winthrop is the only institution to have received the award since it was created in 2001.
Department of Education	Flagship Teacher Preparation Institution Winthrop was awarded the largest federal grant in its history to assist struggling schools, joining only 27 other institutions nationally in the Teacher Quality Partnership. The institution is one of 11 host schools for the state's Teaching Fellows program. The S.C. Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement is housed on campus, and the 2009-10 S.C. Teacher of the Year, Bryan Coburn '88, is the latest in a long line of graduates to hold that prestigious title.
State Budget and Control Board	State Budget and Control Board Winthrop University is annually recognized as one of the most energy-efficient campuses with residence halls in the state-- no small feat, considering Winthrop's physical plant includes more turn-of-the-century buildings than any campus in the state.
	S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Winthrop University is a recipient of the 'Best College Recycling Program' Award from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The university annually recycles more than 75 tons of paper and other recyclables--up from 3.9 tons in 1991.
	Clean City Green City The City of Rock Hill named Winthrop a Certified Green Workplace for meeting standards from five categories, including energy conservation, water conservation, solid waste reduction, air quality measures and a miscellaneous category.
Big South Conference Continuing a tradition of excellence in Winthrop athletics, 120 Winthrop student-athletes were recognized as 2011 Big South Conference Presidential Scholars for achieving at least a 3.00 grade point average for the academic year, and 42 Winthrop student-athletes also had stellar individual years as first or second team All Conference Performers. Winthrop produced sixteen Big South All-Academic team members; two Big South Scholar-Athletes of the Year; two Big South Players of the Year; three All-Americans; and two Big South Freshmen of the Year. Over the past decade, Winthrop teams have earned the following championships and post-season appearances: Women's Tennis Big South Conference Championships—2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 NCAA Regional Appearances---2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Men's Basketball Big South Conference Championships—2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 NCAA Regional Appearances---2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 Men's Tennis Big South Conference Championships—2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 NCAA Regional Appearances---2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 Volleyball Big South Conference Championships—2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 NCAA Regional Appearances---2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Men's Soccer Big South Conference Championships—2002, 2006, 2008, 2009 NCAA Regional Appearances---2002, 2006, 2008, 2009 Women's Soccer Big South Conference Championships (regular season)—2006, 2010 Women's Basketball Women's National Invitational Tournament—2010 Baseball Big South Conference Championships—2005 NCAA Regional Appearances---2005, 2006 Softball Big South Conference Championships—2007, 2008 NCAA Regional Appearances---2007, 2008 Men's & Women's Track & Field Three Student-Athletes Qualified for NCAA National Championships