Follow the Alumni Association on Facebook, Instagram (@winthropalumni) and Winthrop Connect for updates on alumni events!
Download one of the free digital Winthrop backgrounds for virtual alumni events or for your personal use! Wear your garnet and gold attire to show your Eagle pride for both in-person and virtual activities! Purchase Winthrop gear in the bookstore on campus or online here!
*All event times are Eastern unless otherwise noted.
Join the Virtual Alumni Book Club by signing up at www.pbc.guru/winthrop.
"Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?" by Terri-Lynne DeFino
July 31-Oct. 2
The fourth book for the 2026 Virtual Alumni Book Club is "Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?" by Terri-Lynne DeFino.
Regina Benuzzi is Queenie B—a culinary goddess with Michelin Star restaurants, a bestselling cookbook empire, and multimillion-dollar TV deals. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous and curvaceous, with cascading black hair and signature red lips. She had it all. Until she didn’t.
After an epic fall from grace, Queenie B vanishes from the public eye, giving up her husband, her son, and the fame that she’d fought to achieve. Her shows are in rerun, her restaurants still popular, but her disappearance remains a mystery to her legions of fans.
Local line cook Gale Carmichael also knows a thing or two about disaster. Newly sober and struggling, Gale’s future dreams don’t hold space for culinary stardom; only earning enough to get by. Broke at the end of the week, he finds himself at a local soup kitchen in one of the roughest parts of New Haven, Connecticut. But Gale quickly realizes that the food coming out of the kitchen is not your standard free meal—it is delicious and prepared with gourmet flair.
Gale doesn’t recognize Regina, the soup kitchen’s cranky proprietor, whose famous black mane is now streaked with gray. It’s been more than ten years since Queenie B vanished into her careful new existence. But she sees Gale’s talent and recognizes a brokenness in him that she knows all too well. The culinary genius in hiding takes him under her wing.
Teaching Gale, Regina’s passion to create is reignited, and they both glimpse a shot at the redemption that had always seemed out of reach. When Gale is chosen to compete on the hit cooking show, Cut!, it’s a turning point for them both.
It’s Gale’s time to shine. And that means Queenie B might just have to come out of hiding…
The reading period is July 31-Oct. 2. Read a summary and reviews for it here.
Saturday, Aug. 1-Friday, Sept. 18
Purchase your 2026 Homecoming T-shirt from Aug. 1-Sept. 18. Homecoming T-shirts are $25, which includes shipping. T-shirts will be shipped to the address indicated on the order two weeks after orders close on Sept. 18.
The 2026 Homecoming T-shirts are adult unisex Gildan - SoftStyle™, 100% ring-spun cotton. The Homecoming graphic will be printed on the front of a heather navy T-shirt. Purchase your T-shirt here!
Tuesday, Sept. 1 | 10:30-12:15 p.m.
McBryde Hall
Students and recent graduates in accounting, finance, economics or computer information systems are invited to attend Meet the Firms, hosted by Winthrop University's Kappa Rho Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. This networking event connects accounting, finance, economics and computer information systems students and recent graduates with employers and professional organizations. Participants include CPA firms, wealth management firms, banks, government agencies and relevant corporate departments (e.g., internal audit, accounting, tax, and finance). Register via Handshake by Friday, Aug. 28 to ensure a printed nametag is prepared for you.
If your organization would like to participate in Meet the Firms to recruit Winthrop
students and alumni, please visit the Meet the Firms page for employer information and registration.
Sept. 2│5-7: p.m.
Sideward Brewing
Orlando-area alumni are invited to welcome our newest alumni, the Class of 2026, to
the area with a Welcome to the City on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 5-7 p.m. at Sideward Brewing! Catch up with old friends and connect with recent graduates over drinks! Click here to register for this event!
Sept. 8-9│10 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
DiGiorgio Campus Center
If you are a degree-holding alumnus, a current student who has completed 54 credit hours, or a graduate student who has completed at least 18 hours at Winthrop University, you are eligible to purchase the Official Winthrop Ring and other Winthrop jewelry! Stop by the Jostens table in the DiGiorgio Campus Center to speak with representatives about your options, get sized and purchase your Official Winthrop Ring. Alumni are eligible for a discount of up to $100 off when rings are purchased at the table! The Student Alumni Council will be onsite to provide more information about the Official Winthrop Ring and Fall Ring Ceremony.
Thursday, Sept. 10│6-8 p.m.
The Rutledge Room
Join fellow Charleston-area alumni and Provost Sebastian van Delden to connect and learn about exciting updates from Winthrop! At 7 p.m., Dr. van Delden will share information about new academic programs, including aviation, financial technology, artificial intelligence, supply chain and logistics, game design, software engineering, our first doctoral degree program and more! Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be provided by the Alumni Association. Business casual attire is suggested. Please register by Thursday, Sept. 3.
Thursday, Sept. 24 │6 p.m.
Zoom
Terri-Lynne DeFino, author of the current Virtual Alumni Book Club read, "Didn’t You Use to Be Queenie B?" will host a live Author Talk on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. viz Zoom. Terri-Lynne brings the same warmth, wit, and big-heartedness to everything she writes, and we cannot wait to hear her talk about the inspiration behind Regina and Gale, the world of professional kitchens, and the real heart of this beautiful story. Register here for the Author Talk!
Oct. 6-7 │10 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
DiGiorgio Campus Center
If you are a degree-holding alumnus, a current student who has completed 54 credit hours, or a graduate student who has completed at least 18 hours at Winthrop University, you are eligible to purchase the Official Winthrop Ring and other Winthrop jewelry! Stop by the Jostens table in the DiGiorgio Campus Center to speak with representatives about your options, get sized and purchase your Official Winthrop Ring. Alumni are eligible for a discount of up to $100 off when rings are purchased at the table! The Student Alumni Council will be onsite to provide more information about the Official Winthrop Ring and Fall Ring Ceremony.
Oct. 23 │6:30-10:00 p.m.
McBryde Hall
The Student Alumni Council is excited to host this year's Ghost Tours, a night full of frightening twists and turns as we share Winthrop's most haunting stories. Tickets are required. All proceeds benefit the Winthrop Fund, which provides immediate support to students and the university. Tours will start from McBryde Hall. Please be advised that the tour will involve walking outdoors between buildings and taking stairs from Tillman Hall's basement to the 4th floor with limited elevator access. The tour also involves strobe lights, loud noises and other special effects. Tickets can be bought here. Don't wait--tickets for this event often sell out!
Oct. 29 │10 a.m.-1 p.m. & 3-6 p.m.
Richardson Ballroom, located in the DiGiorgio Campus Center
Grad Finale is your one stop shop for all things Commencement! The event is held each
March for May graduates and October for December graduates. It is hosted by the Student Alumni Council and the Alumni Association. Students are invited to Richardson Ballroom where they receive information on graduation status, alumni benefits, purchase class
rings, graduation announcements and regalia. Campus departments at the event include Annual Giving, Career Development & Internships, Dacus Library, Graduate Studies, Jostens, Oak Hall, Records and Registration, Student Account Services, Technology Services, West Center and the Winthrop Alumni Association. December 2026 graduates, be on the lookout for an e-mail with more details. Please
reach out to Brandon Partyka, student and young alumni program coordinator, at partykab@winthrop.edu with any questions.
November 13-14
Save the date for Homecoming and Reunion 2026, Nov. 13-14! We look forward to welcoming alumni back to campus! If your class year ends in '6 or '1, you are celebrating a milestone reunion. 2026 Class Reunion registration and Homecoming event registration will open in August.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 │6-7:30 p.m.
Richardson Ballroom, located in the DiGiorgio Campus Center
The Alumni Association and Student Alumni Council present the Official Ring Ceremony. Rings will be presented to students who purchased their Official Winthrop Ring in the Fall semester. Recipients are encouraged to invite family and friends to help celebrate this milestone. Purchase your official Winthrop ring as a lifelong reminder of your Winthrop experience by shopping the Jostens website, calling 800/854-7464, or attending Ring Days on campus.
Friday, Dec. 4 │6-7 p.m.
Front Lawn of Tillman Hall
The Alumni Association and Student Alumni Council will host the 91st Annual Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. on the front lawn of Tillman Hall. The annual event will feature performances by the Winthrop RockHettes and the Winthrop Chorale and Collegiate Choir. The event ends with a countdown to the main attraction: the lighting of the flagpole at the fountain plaza. The Student Alumni Council will sell luminaries for $5 before the tree lighting to add to the holiday glow around Tillman. Proceeds from the luminaries will support the Winthrop Fund. If you can’t attend the tree lighting in person, you can tune in to the Alumni Association’s Facebook Live stream of the event.
Wednesday, Dec. 16│3-5 p.m.
Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center at the Stewart House
December graduates are invited to the Stewart House on Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 3–5 p.m. to celebrate their graduation and toast to their accomplishments. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, connect with Alumni Association staff, write a letter to your future self, and more. At 4 p.m., we’ll present the class gift and raise a toast to the Class of 2026.
