Dear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to let you know that for the second year in a row Winthrop is the top-ranked four-year S.C. university in meeting its affirmative action goals for recruiting, retaining and promoting minorities and women, according to the S.C. Human Affairs Commission. The commission ranked each of the 10 four-year universities in its latest report to the General Assembly.
Among the accomplishments I am most proud of from my time at Winthrop have been our strides in diversity. You may recall we were #2 in the state for two years—and that was significant—but to be #1 in back-to-back years is truly a testament to the heightened understanding and appreciation of diversity that we have worked hard to nurture and cultivate across our campus.
I am also proud we are in this #1 position as we plan for a unique event later this month that I invite you to attend. Please save the date as the Diversity Council and I will be sponsoring a program on Thursday, February 20, during common time as we celebrate PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) CEO action initiative on diversity and inclusion during the upcoming Day of Understanding. Please watch your email for details, but know that our event will help foster the goal of Winthrop’s campus being a trusting place where difficult conversations surrounding diversity can occur.
The #1 ranking and this event are further evidence of the progress we are making in Winthrop Plan Goal 3: Attract and retain high quality and diverse faculty, staff and administrators. Thank you for all that you are doing and will continue to do on these important strategic plan initiatives.
Sincerely,
Dan