Dear Students:
Welcome back from Spring Break. I am pleased to announce that finalists have been
invited to campus to interview for the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic
Affairs position. The press release below and the provost search website provide information
about the candidates. You will use your Winthrop username and password to access the
candidates’ detailed information.
The candidates will meet with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and community
members. Each candidate also will have a scheduled time during the campus visit to
present and to meet informally with campus and local community members. I encourage
you to attend the presentations and receptions March 19, 22, 26 and 29. Presentations
will be held in Dina’s Place in the DiGiorgio Campus Center from 11-11:30 a.m., followed
by a Q&A from 11:30 a.m.-noon. Receptions will be immediately following from noon-12:30
p.m. in the DiGiorgio Campus Center lobby.
Sincerely,
Dan
Winthrop Announces Four Provost Finalists
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Four finalists for the position of Winthrop University’s
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs will visit the campus for
interviews March 17-29.
The finalists are:
• Dr. Melanie Hatch, currently the associate provost at Albany State University in
Georgia. She will visit from March 17-19.
• Dr. Adrienne McCormick, currently dean of Winthrop University’s College of Arts
and Sciences. She will visit from March 20-22.
• Dr. Jie Chen, currently dean of the Graduate School at James Madison University.
He will visit from March 24-26.
• Dr. Robert “Bud” Fischer, currently dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences
at Middle Tennessee State University. He will visit from March 27-29.
“Our four finalists bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse experience to Winthrop,”
President Dan Mahony said. “The search committee brought forth a strong slate of candidates,
each of whom we feel has the potential to be the best fit for the university and to
continue moving us forward under the Winthrop Plan.”
The provost reports directly to Mahony and serves as both the chief operating officer
and the chief academic officer of the institution. Second to the president, the provost
is responsible for leading the institution in the president’s absence.
Interested community members are invited to each finalist’s open presentation, tentatively
entitled “The Provost as Chief Academic Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Winthrop
University,” and/or to a drop-in reception following these presentations. Learn more
about each finalist by visiting the Provost Search website.
Presentations will be held in Dina’s Place in the DiGiorgio Campus Center from 11-11:30
a.m. on March 19, 22, 26 and 29 followed by a Q&A from 11:30 a.m.-noon. Receptions
will be immediately following from noon-12:30 p.m. in the DiGiorgio Campus Center
lobby. Each finalist also will participate in a series of interviews with faculty,
staff, administrators and students.
Feedback on each candidate will be solicited by way of electronic questionnaire for
those who participate in the campus interview process.
Shelia Burkhalter, vice president for student affairs, and Justin Oates, vice president
for finance and business affairs, co-chaired a search committee that included faculty,
staff, students and graduate students from across campus.
For more information, contact Nicole Chisari, communications coordinator, at 803/323-2236
or chisarin@winthrop.edu.
