Parents and Families - September 14, 2020
Dear Parents and Families:
I’m happy to start this week off by sharing some very good news with you.
This morning, U.S. News & World Report released its annual “Best Colleges” guidebook,
and we should all be very proud to see that Winthrop has achieved its highest ranking
yet among public universities in the South.
A number of factors went into our move from eighth to sixth place, and I encourage
you to read more about that in the press release below.
Winthrop also was recognized in four other categories which honored our commitment
to veterans, innovation, undergraduate teaching and social mobility for our alumni.
We all know that these accolades do not happen overnight. They are a reflection of,
in some cases, years’ worth of hard work from individuals all across this campus.
It’s a great feeling to know that our peers and U.S. News recognize what we already
know: that Winthrop is a unique place, and our mission is to provide a first-class
and well-rounded education to the students like yours that we serve.
Sincerely,
George
George W. Hynd
Interim President
Winthrop Moves to Its Highest Ever U.S. News Rankings, Continues Decades-Long Recognition
Streak
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — Winthrop University’s 6-year graduation rate, its commitment
to undergraduate teaching, assistance to veterans and the social mobility of its graduates
contributed to its climb from eighth to sixth place among public universities in the
South, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2021 edition of "Best Colleges.”
This is the highest ranking ever for the Rock Hill institution. Winthrop also moved
from 17th to 13th place among regional universities in the South, according to the
rankings released on Sept. 14.
Winthrop Interim President George W. Hynd was proud to see the jump in overall rankings
and for the school to continue to be recognized in different categories. “These rankings
demonstrate that the Winthrop approach is working,” Hynd said. “The increase in the
percentage of students who graduated within six years is evidence of the student success
efforts occurring in areas across campus. With small classes, our faculty members
know their students and can help them reach their potential.”
Hynd said the rankings are a source of pride for the university and are a testament
to faculty and staff efforts to provide the exemplary educational experience for which
Winthrop is known.
Winthrop stood out among the newsmagazine’s Best Regional Universities in the South
in the following categories:
-Rose from 8th to 7th place among best colleges for veterans;
-Placed 12th for most innovative schools;
-Held on to 11th place for best undergraduate teaching as judged by peers; and
-Ranked 23nd for social mobility, a fairly new category that measures how well schools
graduated students who received federal Pell Grants (those typically coming from households
whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually).
U.S. News & World Report has published its “Best Colleges” rankings since 1983. The
rankings can be used as a starting point for families searching for the best educational
experience for their student, and the guidebook enables them to compare institutions
on such areas as freshman retention, graduation rates and the student-faculty ratios.
Among other third-party endorsements, the Princeton Review in August named Winthrop
among the “Best in the Southeast.” The university was one of 142 schools that the
company recommends in its online feature "2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” In
addition, Winthrop was recently recognized by Washington Monthly as one of 157 institutions
to make its “honor roll” for registering students to vote.
