It’s Almost Time!
It’s incredibly hard to believe that in just a few short weeks we’ll be welcoming our students to campus! Outstanding efforts are taking place behind the scenes as many of our offices are deep in the details of such traditional opening events as Move-In Weekend, Welcome Week activities, Convocation, and more. As we work toward the start of our 141st academic year, we’re kicking it off with some fantastic updates and a record-breaking achievement (more on these below!) I hope you’re looking forward to this year as much as I am. In the meantime, please note the following:
Budget
South Carolina government is currently operating on a continuing resolution to fund state agencies at 2026 levels. What this means for Winthrop is a delay in learning additional funding we will receive in the state budget as well as implementation of the 2% general increase for state employees to which both chambers have previously agreed. Please stay tuned for updates.
Record-breaking Fundraising
I am thrilled to share that the university advancement team has raised a record-breaking fundraising total of $11.7 million for FY25-26. This represents a nearly 43 percent increase over last year’s fundraising total of $8.2 million and nearly five times what was raised five years ago. Can you believe it? I don’t need to tell you how critical donor support is to our institution and the Winthrop experience. This reaffirms to me that our supporters are confident in Winthrop’s bright future as we build upon recent accomplishments. Thanks to Kevin Hughes and the university advancement team for reaching this historic level of mission-critical support. Read more in this news release.
Stellar Summer Session Enrollment
I'm pleased to share that Winthrop's summer enrollment continues to reflect the positive momentum we are seeing across the university. This summer, more than 1,670 students enrolled in courses, generating over 10,000 credit hours—an exceptional result for Winthrop that puts us 9 percent ahead of 2025 and 14 percent ahead of 2024 in total number of students taking classes. These numbers demonstrate that more students are choosing Winthrop and taking advantage of opportunities to stay on track, accelerate their progress, and achieve their academic goals. Thank you to our faculty and staff whose dedication to supporting our students continues to make this growth possible.
Q&As
The CampusWorks organizational assessment and our most recent employee engagement survey let us know clearly that employees want more communication around various topics, particularly in regards to areas of campus that directly affect them and their roles. The UCM team sold me on the idea of a series of Q&As to put more information out there about hot topics. Business Center One (BC1) is first up, and since we know the new center touches many areas of campus, hopefully the answers, in particular, will help clear up any questions as the pilot program gets up and running. If BC1 will or already impacts you, read the Q&As here. Next month we will dive into fall enrollment with Amanda James, VP for enrollment management and marketing.
Women’s Flag Football
I’m excited that Winthrop Club Sports is embracing one of the fastest-growing sports in the country—women's flag football—and can’t wait to see how the inaugural team comes together this fall. Creating this program builds on the city football reputation and aligns with the university’s strategic plan initiative to expand our club sports offerings. The inaugural flag football team will be led by Head Coach Reggie Cespedes, an accomplished coach and player with more than 25 years of experience. One of our faculty members, Joni Boyd ’07, ’20, ’21, professor of exercise science, serves as a key consultant to the club. Joni is a former women’s professional football quarterback and current girls flag football coach at Northwestern High School. Tryouts will be held this fall with competition beginning in spring 2027. Learn more in this news release.
Welcome Back and Convocation/Blue Line
Please save the date for our faculty/staff Welcome Back event on Monday, Aug. 17, at 9:45 a.m. in Richardson Ballroom. I’ll deliver some brief remarks around 10:15, and then we’ll spend the rest of the time catching up with one another. Offices will close from 9:30-11:30 a.m. for everyone to attend.
On Monday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m., we will once again hold Convocation in Byrnes Auditorium, followed by the Blue Line procession to the front lawn for our traditional picnic. Offices will close from 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. for everyone to attend Convocation and the lunch. More information will be coming about these events, but please mark them on your calendar.
As always, many thanks for all that you do for Winthrop. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Always an Eagle,
Edward
Edward Serna
President
