I hope the spring semester has gotten off to a smooth start for everyone. In addition to juggling new semester tasks, it’s also time to play everyone’s favorite seasonal game: “When will we get inclement weather?” We are keeping an eye on the reports for this weekend’s storm, and if any changes to our schedule are needed, we will notify the campus via WU-Alert, email and the website. I encourage you to sign up for WU-Alert if you haven’t already.
Now, allow me to share some updates on a few items of note:
Strategic Plan Progress Dashboards
The vice presidents have reported progress made to date on the strategic plan’s phase 2 initiatives. Dashboards have been added to the strategic plan website, and they detail the Q2 work completed so far on each initiative, as well as plans for Q3. I encourage you to view them here.
Cornhole Wins National Titles
Our cornhole team started the new year by winning back-to-back national titles at the American Cornhole League National Competition, held Jan. 1-2 in Myrtle Beach. Gavin Hamann (entrepreneurship) and Jaxson Remmick (sport management) won the doubles championship. The team title went to Hayden Gonzales (undeclared), Dylan Graham (business administration), Sal Sandoval (physical education) and Mikayla Calvey (elementary education), who is Winthrop's first female cornhole winner. What an impressive haul during the team’s second season! Congratulations to Head Coach Dusty Thompson and all of the players.
New Partnership
I’m thrilled to update you on a new partnership involving the Charlotte area – this one involving the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, which is the oldest continuously operating orchestra in the Carolinas. After touring Byrnes Auditorium last year and being wowed by its renovations, the orchestra has partnered with our own College of Visual and Performing Arts to perform a Feb. 17 concert in Byrnes. One of the main goals behind the extensive space renovations was to attract prominent external performers to campus, so we are starting off strong! Read more about the performance and purchase tickets if you are interested.
In other news, Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs/CFO Kevin Butler, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing Joseph Miller, and I traveled to Columbia today to present our 2026-27 budget request to the Higher Education Subcommittee during House budget hearings. I will update the campus as this process takes shape. Also, the vice presidents and I are reviewing results from the fall’s Let Your Voice Be Heard employee engagement survey. Those results will be shared with the campus within the next few weeks.
Thank you, as always, for all that you do for Winthrop. We are off to a wonderful start to the spring semester!
Edward
Edward A. Serna
President
