Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.
Thompson Conference Room | Tillman Building
Winthrop University | Rock Hill, South Carolina
Committee Members: Glenn McCall, Kathy Bigham (via Zoom), Ed Driggers (via Zoom), Tim Sease (via Zoom), David McDonald (via Zoom), Gary Williams
Committee Members Absent: None
Winthrop Staff Present: Edward A. Serna (President), Tammie Phillips (Acting Secreatary to the Board and Executive Director), Kevin Butler (CFO and VP for Finance and Business Affairs), Joseph Miller (VP for Enrollment Management and Marketing), Sebastian van Delden (Provost and VP for Academic Affairs), Hannah Small (Asst. to the Acting Secretary to the Board and Office Coordinator), Judy Longshaw (News and Media Services Manager)
Guests: Clark Vilardebo (Johnsonian) and Manning Kimmel (OTS Media)
Agenda
The Board of Trustees met on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., at Winthrop University in Thompson Conference Room.
Roll Call to Establish Quorum
Tammie Phillips took the role of the Executive Committee and confirmed a quorum of the Committee.
Public Notice
The meeting agenda was posted on the Winthrop University website with proper notice of the meeting. The meeting was held in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Chair Glenn McCall thanked members of the media, Calrk Vilardebo (Johnsonian) and Manning Kimmel (OTS Media) for joining the meeting.
Call to Order and Invocation
A quorum being present, Chair McCall called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. He welcomed all present both in person and virtually and gave an invocation to begin the Board meeting.
Remarks from the Chairman
Chair McCall shared his enthusiasm and thanked the team fro all the good things happening at the university. He encouraged everyone to review the Strategic Plan scorecards in the board portal. He thanked Tim Sease, Chair of the Finance Committee, and the Finance Committee for approving several items in December that will help move the university forward. He shared his excitement about seeing things from a trustee and board perspective happening that have been in discussions for many years, notably the establishment of the Honors College and the new programs coming from Academic Affairs. He ended his report by thanking President Serna and his team for the great work being accomplished at the university.
Approval of Executive Committee Minutes of October 10, 2024
Hearing no objections, the minutes of the October 10, 2024 meeting were approved as written.
Update from the President
President Serna gave an update on the Strategic Plan stating the second quarter scorecards were loaded on the portal this week. He noted no major risks at this point with the implementation but shared that two of twelve initiatives are slipping behind schedule a bit due to lack of qualified applicants. He touched upon some amazing work happening across campus and shared some bragging points he received from Academic Affairs, Athletics, Enrollment Management, Finance, Student Affairs, and Advancement noting the amazing work, "stacking wins on wins," and building momentum across the institution.
Planning and Review for the February 26-27 Board Retreat
Chairman McCall reviewed the itinerary and agenda for the February Board of Trustees retreat. Each chair present provided a brief overview of the areas the vice presidents will cover.
Executive Session -- pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. §30-4-70(a)(1) and (2) for the purposes of discussion of employment matters and contractual items related to Winthrop University.
Trustee Gary Williams moved with a second from Trustee David McDonald to move into executive session pursuant to South Carolina Ann. §30-4-70(a)(1) and (2) for the purposes of discussion of employment matters and contractual items related to Winthrop University. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.
President Edward Serna, Tammie Phillips, Joseph Miller, Sebastian van Delden, Kevin Butler and Hannah Small were invited to remain for the executive session.
Adjournment
Trustee David McDonald moved to end executive session. Trustee Ed Driggers seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous to end executive session.
Chair McCall reported that no action was taken during executive session and thanked all in attendance.
Hearing no objections, Chair McCall adjourned the meeting at 11:42 a.m.
