Dear Colleagues,
I hope many of you were able to attend the presidential finalists’ visits last week. I know you join me in expressing appreciation to the Presidential Search Committee and the advisory group for all of their hard work over the last several months. Trustees are working diligently to identify the 12th president by month’s end, so please stay tuned for more on that. In addition to the presidential search, there is a lot going on this month and next that I wanted to bring to your attention below:
SACSCOC Appreciation and Next Steps
It is hard to believe that we are nearing our on-site reaccreditation visit on March 22-24. We recently submitted three important documents: Compliance Certification Report, Focused Report and Quality Enhancement Plan. The Focused Report responds to the Off-Site Committee’s compliance concerns, while the Career Readiness focus of the QEP is an exciting undertaking for the university. Our next big step is the on-site visit. Like many other institutions, we have continued our reporting work during a constantly changing global pandemic. This required creativity and teamwork, attributes that I am proud to say have always been reflected in the Winthrop community. As you are aware, this reaffirmation process is a large, cross-campus undertaking that requires many of you to be engaged in the process in some manner. I commend each of you for your hard work and diligence throughout this important endeavor, and I sincerely appreciate your contributions of time and expertise to help fulfill this requirement.
Winthrop Award of Excellence
I hope you have seen mention that we are now accepting nominations for the Winthrop Award of Excellence, a prestigious honor created to recognize individuals who have excelled in implementing
the Winthrop Plan. Nominees can be an individual faculty or staff member. Award selection will be based
on the person’s noteworthy contributions to the realization of one or more of the
major goals of our strategic plan. Nominations may be submitted via the Nomination Form. The winner will be announced at the Faculty, Staff and Retirees Awards Ceremony
that will be held on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
Fourth-Straight Year at #1!
I am very pleased to share with you that for the fourth-straight year Winthrop has secured the top spot among the four-year state universities in South Carolina in meeting its affirmative action goals for recruiting, retaining and promoting minorities and women, according to the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. This is evidence that Winthrop continues to value and prioritize the diversity of the faculty and staff, which is reflective of Winthrop Plan Goal 3. To see how other schools compare to Winthrop, view the S.C. Human Affairs Commission report.
Hercules Tire Big South Basketball Championships
The men’s and women’s basketball teams will soon be participating in the Big South Conference tournament. Although seedings have not yet been announced, the tournament will take place March 1-6 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Let’s support the teams by showing up and cheering them on throughout the tournament. To purchase tickets, please visit the Winthrop athletics website. It is important to get your tickets through our site so we can track our sales. Visit the tournament website to view the schedule and more. Let’s go, Eagles!
KN95 Masks
Finally, I want to mention that we have been able to purchase some KN95 masks for the campus community. If a department wishes to order the masks, please place the request through the normal COVID supplies process and limit your requests to two per person. Students will be issued the masks through a separate process. Watch for a message from James Grigg, associate vice president for Facilities, regarding the proper use, care and storage of KN95 masks.
Thank you once again for your hard work and dedication to our students and this university. I appreciate you and your efforts!
Sincerely,
George
George W. Hynd
Interim President
