Last week’s called meeting of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees was the first with Chair Joel Hamilton in his new role. I thought he did a great job leading the meeting, which originated in the Thompson Conference Room on Zoom.
I am happy to say that the board approved the $1,250,000 funding request for the second phase of Winthrop: United in Excellence, the university’s strategic plan. The nine Phase 2 initiatives are:
Academics –- As we continue our impressive academic program innovation, this year we will track the Bachelor of Science degree programs in health sciences, advanced manufacturing engineering, and aviation and business management. In addition, the Office of Student Success will emerge as a nexus for advising, retention and success through a new, shared advising model, the SuccessFest event, a second ACAD course for select students, a retention workshop, and a new transfer student advising center.
Enrollment Management and Marketing – We will continue to build a flexible branding and marketing platform that conveys Winthrop’s strategic brand purpose and value to all audiences. In the process we will elevate our story in support of awareness, reputation, community and alumni engagement, fundraising, and enrollment marketing needs. A new presidential student ambassador program will be established to provide support for strategic university priorities in new student recruitment, fundraising activities, alumni engagement, and selected presidential and VIP events.
Student Affairs – There will be a concerted effort to provide state-of-the-art resources to modernize the Career Center and forge partnerships among the campus, local businesses, and the community to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students.
University Advancement – A survey of nearly 70,000 alumni will determine how they most want to be engaged with Winthrop, as well as inspire them to be more involved and financially supportive of their alma mater.
Athletics – Club sports will be a focus this year to drive enrollment, retention, wellness, and leadership development for students. This emphasis will generate additional revenue to help financially support NCAA Division 1 sports programs and cultivate expanded philanthropic opportunities through parents and graduates.
Human Resources – In the area of professional development and employee satisfaction, we will undertake a comprehensive, independent assessment of Winthrop’s organizational structure and staffing approach.
Finance and Business Affairs – The final initiative will focus on campus space optimization. We will use data to create and execute a plan of action to consolidate space use and to lease, repurpose or dispose of excess campus lands and buildings, updating the Campus Master Plan to support desired outcomes.
You may read more about the initiatives on the implementation section of the strategic plan website, where the initial dashboards are already available.
The Board of Trustees also heard from Kevin Butler, CFO/vice president for finance and business affairs, about efforts to increase housing options on campus. The board supports our plan to move forward on the design of a residence hall of 425-500 beds to be completed by late 2027. The proposed pod-style residence would have 10 to 12 two-bedroom spaces around a bathroom in the hall. Each hall also would have a kitchen, study room and meeting room.
Thank you for your interest in the activities of the Board of Trustees.
Edward
Edward A. Serna
President
