Dear Colleagues,
It’s that time of the semester – the sprint to the finish line! As we get ready to close out another successful academic year, I wanted to take just a few minutes to provide you with some updates:
COVID Vaccine/Testing Clinic
On April 20, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in McBryde Hall, there will be a DHEC-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinic. The clinic will be offering all three vaccines, including first and second boosters. According to new guidance, you can now receive a second booster dose if you:
· Received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine as both your primary and booster dose at least four months ago
· Are ages 50 years and older and received any booster dose at least four months ago
· Are moderately or severely immunocompromised, ages 12 years and older, and received any booster dose at least four months ago
In addition to administering vaccines, DHEC will make rapid and PCR self-administered tests available and have individuals mail their PCR swabs for test results. We must remain vigilant in order to keep our Winthrop family safe and the best way to do that is through vaccination. Please make plans to get yours if you have not.
Faculty, Staff, Retirees Ceremony
Please join me next week on Tuesday, April 26, at 9:30 a.m. in McBryde Hall to celebrate and recognize the achievements of our retirees, service award recipients, and winners of the Award of Excellence, Staff Member of the Year Award, Faculty Student Life Award and Mary Spann Richardson Award. Offices will be closed from 9:15-11:15 a.m. so that everyone may attend. I hope to see you there.
May Commencements
I look forward to celebrating the hard work and accomplishments of our newest graduates at Commencement. I hope you can join me at the Winthrop Coliseum on Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. for Graduate Commencement and on Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for Undergraduate Commencement. The 10 a.m. ceremony will celebrate graduates within the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the College of Arts and Sciences. The 3 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduates within the College of Business Administration and the Richard W. Riley College of Education. I am pleased to share that Dr. Jermaine Whirl ’06, president of Augusta Technical College, will be our Commencement speaker on May 7.
Common Time
A lot of you will be happy to know that, starting with the fall semester, common time will be reinstated on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. This class-free block of time is popular for many reasons. It allows for clubs and organizations to schedule consistent meeting times, students to hold planned study groups, faculty to prepare for classes, and more. We are glad that common time is coming back in August!
As always, thank you for all that you do for Winthrop.
Sincerely,
George
George W. Hynd
Interim President
