Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Adrienne McCormick, currently dean of Winthrop’s
College of Arts and Sciences, has accepted Winthrop’s offer to become the next Provost
and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Adrienne has proven in her former
positions as well as at Winthrop that she will advance a student-centered university
experience, values both liberal arts and professional education, and possesses a record
of leadership within institutions where student intellectual development, teaching
excellence, and scholarship were supported and enhanced. Adrienne and I will meet
with the Arts & Sciences faculty next week to discuss the dean position that will
now be open on July 1. See below the press release that soon will be distributed.
Many of you participated in this search process, and I appreciate your time and effort
in this endeavor. I am especially grateful to Justin Oates and Shelia Burkhalter,
who led the search, as well as to the search committee members for their good work
and dedication to the process.
While there will be time later to thank Dr. Debra Boyd more fully for her outstanding
leadership as provost and executive vice president, in addition to her other significant
contributions, I want to thank her now for all she has done for the university through
more than three decades of selfless service. We wish her well as she will take a year-long
sabbatical beginning July 1, after which she will return as a professor in the English
department.
Sincerely,
Dan
Adrienne McCormick Named Winthrop Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic
Affairs
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA—Dr. Adrienne McCormick, Winthrop University’s dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), was announced today as the new provost and executive
vice president for academic affairs.
The provost reports directly to President Dan Mahony. Second to the president, the
provost is responsible for leading the institution in the president’s absence.
President Mahony noted McCormick’s impressive commitment to diversity, equity and
inclusion, a key component of the Winthrop Plan; her focus on pursuing new partnerships
and opportunities for students, faculty and staff; and her dedication to recruiting
high-quality faculty.
“Dr. McCormick has demonstrated a keen understanding of the complex nature of both
the higher education landscape and how it relates to Winthrop,” he said. “Her collaborative,
process-driven leadership shows her strong commitment to the success of students,
faculty and staff.”
Mahony also thanked the search committee for its important work in bringing the most
qualified candidates to campus.
“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with President Mahony and our Board
of Trustees, and thank them for their confidence in my ability to lead the division
of Academic Affairs and serve the entire Winthrop community,” McCormick said. “I joined
Winthrop as a dean because I was deeply impressed by the student-centeredness I see
across the board here. It truly is our superpower. I look forward to exploring how
we can sustain and expand upon it, as we prepare curious, resilient, and skilled graduates.”
McCormick will assume her new duties in July. She’ll replace Provost Debra Boyd, who
will take a year-long sabbatical before returning to the classroom.
“The search process showed me that we are eager to increase support for faculty and
staff and opportunities for innovation, while the national stage shows us all that
we must remain good stewards of campus safety, inclusion, and affordability,” McCormick
noted. “These are all areas I am excited to pursue.”
Since arriving at Winthrop in July 2018, McCormick has established a College of Arts
and Sciences facilities planning group; completed a CAS strategic plan in line with
Winthrop Plan goals; raised professional development support by establishing a fixed
travel support amount and launching the Digital Humanities travel fellowship; and
collaborated on an application for the Clare Booth Luce Scholarship to support women
students in physical and computer sciences and mathematics.
McCormick previously served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and
professor of English at the State University of New York at Oswego, where she worked
extensively on faculty recruitment and development as well as the development and
support of initiatives designed to build and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations
within the college and across the university. She has also provided leadership in
external relations, partnership building, fundraising, and fiscal management.
An English professor, McCormick earned her doctorate in English and a graduate certificate
in women's studies from the University of Maryland at College Park before joining
the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1998. She worked there in several
roles: as interim associate provost for curriculum, assessment and academic support,
interim assistant provost for special initiatives, chair of the Department of English,
and director of the Women’s Studies Program.
McCormick also holds a master's degree with a creative thesis in poetry from the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a bachelor's degree in English literature and dramatic
arts and sciences from Queens University of Charlotte. She is the author of book chapters
and articles in peer-reviewed journals on contemporary women poets, filmmakers, and
dramatists.
For more information, contact Nicole Chisari, communications coordinator, at 803/323-2236
or chisarin@winthrop.edu.
