Dear Colleagues,
How wonderful to celebrate 1,100 of our newest graduates during our recent Commencement ceremonies! Spring semester has concluded, summer hours are in full swing, and the preparation to again welcome students begins anew. I want to thank you for all that you will do over the next few months to help ensure a positive experience in August for all who live, work and study here.
Below are a few items that I wanted to bring to your attention:
Summer Work
There is no doubt that a lot will be happening over and above Summer Session classes and the typical facilities maintenance that is performed during the summer months. You may notice a lot of effort to keep our campus beautiful, accessible and attractive for prospective students and their families. Much of what you’ll see is funded by private gifts to the Campus Beautification Initiative. There will be new branded window clings going up in the DiGiorgio Campus Center, new banners across the campus, additional seating/gathering areas, and even some thought-provoking public art that will all help establish a greater sense of place, community and school spirit. In addition, state funds will pay for the first phase of accessibility-related sidewalk curb cuts to address reported mobility issues, pothole repair and striping of some parking areas, the campus center plaza tile replacement, and long-anticipated improvements to Scholars Walk. Watch your e-mail for an update from James Grigg in the coming weeks for more on what’s happening this summer.
Budget
We continue to watch budget news out of Columbia and expect the state budget to be finalized in a conference committee in May or June. The House version of the budget gave Winthrop in recurring revenue $2,684,528 for tuition mitigation, and in non-recurring revenue $6 million for maintenance, renovation, and replacement, $6 million for Wofford Hall and Richardson Hall, $5 million for Dinkins and Dacus Library renovation and $9 million for the Science Complex renovation. The Senate version made significant cuts to all higher education institutions and to numerous other House appropriations because Senators appropriated $1 billion more than the House for an income tax cut and rebates. A pay increase for state workers remains a good possibility for surviving the conference committee. Like we often do at this time of the year, we will just have to wait and see where we end up in regards to the budget.
Campus Master Plan Survey Reminder
In a May 5 e-mail, I asked you to provide feedback to our partners as they work to complete the final
phase of the Campus Master Plan process. The team has developed a video presentation that shares preliminary ideas about proposed future changes to the Winthrop campus. This
feedback will help inform the prioritization of the different elements of the campus
plan as it is further refined and developed. If you have already provided your input,
thank you for your time and feedback. If you have not, please watch the video and then take the survey today.
Office Name Change
Please note that Center for Student Wellness is now the Center for Student Wellness, a name change that reflects our commitment to providing comprehensive physical and mental health care for our students. You will see the new name on the website and used in communications beginning this summer.
Orientation Sessions
Next month our campus will be busy as we welcome new students and their families for Orientation. There are four Freshman Orientation sessions – June 15-16, June 20-21, June 23-24 and June 27-28. If you see these important visitors on campus during these times, please extend to them a warm Winthrop welcome! There also will be a few Transfer Orientation sessions happening in August. Thank you to all of the faculty and staff who are involved in this vitally important two-day immersion into the Winthrop experience. We appreciate all that you do to welcome our newest students into the Winthrop family!
Thank you again for ending the spring semester on a positive note. Alison and I will be vacating the President’s House later this month so the facilities team can begin preparations for incoming President Serna and his family. I hope you will welcome them as warmly as you welcomed me and Alison in the spring of 2020.
All my best,
George
George W. Hynd
Interim President
