Thursday, May 1, 2025 | 9:00 a.m.
Gold Room | DiGiorgio Campus Center
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Trustees Present: Kathy Bigham, John Brazell, Ed Driggers, Joel Hamilton, Randy Imler, Rick Lee, Glenn McCall, Janet Smalley, Sandra Stroman, Isaiah Venning, Ashlye Wilkerson and Gary Williams
Trustees Absent: David McDonald and Tim Sease
President’s Cabinet Present: President Edward Serna, Shelia Burkhalter, Kevin Butler, Lisa Cowart, Joseph Miller, Tammie Phillips, Chuck Rey, Gary Simrill and Sebastian van Delden
President’s Cabinet Absent: Kevin Hughes
Others Present: Various members of faculty, staff and students of Winthrop University
The Board of Trustees met on Thursday, May 1, 2025, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Roll Call to Establish Quorum
Acting Secretary to the Winthrop Board of Trustees Tammie Phillips took the role and
confirmed a quorum of the Trustees.
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).
Call to Order and Invocation
A quorum being present, Chair Glenn McCall called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. He welcomed all present and gave an invocation to begin the meeting.
Executive Session - pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. §30-4-70(a)(2)
Trustee Gary Williams moved with a second from Trustee John Brazell to enter executive session pursuant to South Carolina Ann. §30-4-70(a)(2) for the purpose of discussion of legal matters related to Winthrop University. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.
President Serna, Ashley Abel (Winthrop’s Legal Counsel), Gary Simrill, Tammie Phillips and Hannah Small were invited to remain for the executive session.
Trustee Rick Lee moved with a second from Trustee John Brazell to end executive session. The vote was unanimous in favor of ending executive session with no action.
Remarks of the Chair
Chair McCall welcomed all in attendance and thanked everyone for attending the committee meetings.
Consent Agenda
Trustee Rick Lee moved to adopt the consent agenda related to resolutions passed by
the committees the previous day and to accept the minutes of the February 26 and 27,
2025, and April 4, 2025, meetings as written. The motion was seconded by Trustee Gary
Williams and approved by unanimous vote.
Report of the President
President Serna gave an update on the closing of Limestone University and shared how Winthrop is assisting prospective Limestone students. He also gave an update on the strategic plan and thanked the Cabinet for updating their scorecards and Hannah Small for updating the portal. He discussed how the Phase 1 initiatives of the strategic plan, Winthrop: United in Excellence, will soon move from the implementation stage to an operational stage. President Serna and the vice presidents will work over the summer to develop and establish budget for the Phase 2 initiatives.
Committee Reports
Committee on Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management
Trustee Janet Smalley reported on the excellent information shared regarding the enrollment, retention and recruitment efforts for this and next year. She noted that the committee also heard about Career Center enhancements, Fraternity/Sorority Life progress, and the new Academic Hub that will be coming to support continuing professional development for faculty and staff.
Committee on Strategic Planning and Facilities
Trustee Ed Driggers reported on the Gordian Sightlines study and the impact it will have over time. It is now an optimization strategy versus a building reduction strategy. He noted there is a lot of square footage on campus and much of it is historical in nature, so the approach must be done carefully and strategically. He noted it is nice seeing the improvements going on around campus. He discussed the building projects, major renovation projects, and the Courtyard HVAC maintenance project.
Committee on Finance
Trustee John Brazell reported on the approval of the internal audit charter and the recent Courtyard acquisition. The committee also approved and established a $22 per credit hour fee for the First Day course materials program. He also reported on the fiscal year 2025 financial report through March of 2025, and he said that a balanced budget will be presented for adoption in June. Funding for the Joynes renovation and the Southwest Gateway were approved. He noted that consultant Glenn Savage had shared the athletics internal audit.
Committee on External Engagement and Athletics
Trustee Gary Williams was very impressed with the presentation and activities by marketing and branding consultants 160over90. He said that Chuck Rey gave a great update on team and individual successes as well as what is happening with the NCAA and the House lawsuit. He also noted Kevin Hughes reported on the Day of Giving with over 1,000 donors and nearly $500K raised with donations still coming in. The comprehensive campaign was approved to move forward. Robin Embry shared information on Winthrop’s results in a study of higher education endowment investment performance and management practices. Winthrop has compared favorably or above in most all areas for the last 10 years.
Reports of Affiliated Groups
Report of Faculty Conference
Chair Adam Glover began by thanking the Board for approving his bid for promotion to Professor. He provided an update on academic programming regarding possible reorganization of the colleges and discussion around this topic. Faculty Conference approved several new programs this year, and a review/study of Winthrop’s General Education program is underway. He hopes the work group will provide possible modifications in Spring 2026. Glover announced the new Common Book, “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work,” and said trustees would receive a copy in June. This book was selected to align with the QEP so students can integrate career readiness into their thinking from the very beginning of their Winthrop experience.
Report of Staff Conference
Chair Taylor Degen updated trustees on Winthrop’s participation in the Rock Hill Christmas Parade, noted several Staff Conference meetings were held (the last one the previous week), and said the group concluded the year with a staff social at the Winthrop beer garden. He announced a new Staff Emeritus program that Suzie Therrell in Academic Affairs is spearheading. He concluded by noting what a great job the service committees have been doing, all the nominations for staff recognition, and excitement for the Staff Professional Development Conference in June.
Report of the Council of Student Leaders
Sean Pennington noted his full written report may be found in the portal. He highlighted the Council of Student Leaders’ involvement this year, including the ways in which CSL has worked to gauge the concerns of the student body and engage the university’s leadership. The governing body was proud to host three lunches with President Serna. He shared excitement with the change next academic year to the Student Government Association with Victoria Williams as president. Sean thanked the Board of Trustees and all the amazing leaders present in the room who have influenced his service and time as president.
Adjournment
Hearing no objections, Chair McCall adjourned the meeting at 10:45 a.m.
