Dear Colleagues:
I hope that your summer is off to a wonderful start. I’m sure you’ve noticed that campus has been bustling with Orientation sessions, various camps, ST-ARTS, daily admissions tours and more. It has been great to see and feel the positive energy that these events inject into our busy days, and I hope that when you see our visitors and campers you’ll offer them a warm Winthrop welcome.
Meanwhile, the vice presidents and I have been reviewing and discussing recommendations made by CampusWorks that came out of the organizational assessment process. Additionally, we are wrapping up phase two strategic plan initiatives and are brainstorming and narrowing down a new set of initiatives for phase three. More to come on all of this, so please stay tuned.
Here also are some notable updates and happenings as we close out June…
Enrollment and Orientation
I have some very good news to pass along regarding our fall enrollment outlook and this summer’s Orientation sessions. Amanda James has shared with me that, to date, over 1,300 freshmen and transfers have put down deposits to attend this fall, an encouraging indicator for fall enrollment. I am also proud to share that the academic quality of our deposited freshmen is in range with previous classes, with an average SAT of 1,115, an average ACT score of 23 and an average GPA of 4.04. In addition, our Orientation sessions last month were very successful, with registrations up 3% year-over-year, and there are still a few more sessions to come. A huge thank you goes out to our admissions, financial aid, and New Student and Family Programs staff for getting these students to campus!
Investing in Winthrop Summer Edition
I am pleased to provide you with the latest edition of our facilities update, Investing in Winthrop. In this iteration, read more about various building renovation projects, summer refreshes, projects in the queue and more.
Winthrop Inspire Soccer
There’s an exciting initiative underway that kicks off today! Winthrop has joined the Inspire Soccer League, the first nationwide, year-long competitive soccer league tailored for individuals with intellectual impairment. The initiative is drawing together former Eagle soccer players, alumni and coaches to make the program successful as the league’s first inaugural collegiate team. There will be an event today at 6 p.m. at Miracle Park for families to learn more about the team and meet those involved. Rock Hill’s team will be a coed team, open to players 16 and older, for those athletes with an IQ of 75 or less, autism or Down syndrome. Coaches for this summer are women’s soccer coaches Spencer Smith and Dylan Patterson Hill. In the fall, Mia Gray and former Winthrop soccer player Laurin Uptegrove ’22 will take over. Melissa Bates, the West Center director, is the project lead for the team who will coordinate logistics. Thank you to all involved for spearheading such an important inclusive activity for our Winthrop and surrounding communities. Read more about the team here.
Please enjoy the rest of the summer. Before we know it, we’ll be welcoming our newest
class of Eagles at Convocation on Aug. 24!
Edward
Edward Serna
President
