Winthrop University
Board of Trustees Executive Committee
Thursday, February 12, 2026
10:00 a.m.
Thompson Conference Room | Tillman Hall
Winthrop University | Rock Hill, South Carolina
Committee Members Present – Trustees Joel Hamilton (Chair), Kathy Bigham (Vice Chair), Ed Driggers (via Zoom), Randy Imler, Tim Sease (via Zoom), and Gary Williams
Committee Members Absent – None
President’s Cabinet Present - President Edward Serna, Shelia Burkhalter, Kevin Butler, Beverly Gilliam, Amanda James, and Tammie Phillips
Other Attendees Present – Hannah Small and Ellen Wilder-Bryd
(Only attending Trustees, President Serna, President’s Cabinet, Board Staff, and others presenting or participating in the meeting are noted as attendees.)
The Board of Trustees Executive Committee met on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at Winthrop University in Thompson Conference Room.
Roll Call to Establish Quorum
Ms. Tammie Phillips took the roll 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).
Call to Order and Welcome
A quorum being present, Chair Joel Hamilton called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. and welcomed all present, both in person and virtually.
Approval of Executive Committee Minutes of October 16, 2025
Chair Hamilton called for a motion to approve the minutes of the October 16, 2025, meeting, with the correction of noting Trustee Sease being in attendance. Trustee Sease so moved, seconded by Trustee Williams. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.
President’s Update
President Serna provided an update on phase two implementation of the strategic plan,
Winthrop: United in Excellence, and reported the plan is tracking on schedule. He
acknowledged the board’s investment in the initiatives and thanked trustees for their
support. Scorecards are available on the portal for review. He provided an update
on the 6-month check-in document and reported it will be uploaded to the portal prior
to the board retreat.
President Serna provided an update on the last phase of the first 3-year plan and noted that planning will be informed by the organizational assessment being launched by HR with partner CampusWorks. Assessment results will be shared at the June 2026 Board of Trustees meeting. President Serna updated on multi-year initiatives beginning with branding and marketing, followed by the career center and finally, the Office for Student Success.
President Serna reported he would like the next 3-year sprint kick-off to occur no later than January 2027. He is planning to reserve time during the Spring 2027 Board meeting to bring in consultants to present. He is looking at July 1, 2027, for the next launch of strategic initiatives.
Budget/Finance Update
Mr. Kevin Butler reported on the FY2026 Budget, noting he resumed the distribution
of our Burn Rate Report that compares the rate of spend to the portion of the fiscal
that has lapsed. He mentioned 66% of our accounts are spending at or below the straight-line
pace, while 9% of our accounts were slightly outpacing straight-line, and 13% of our
accounts were significantly outpacing straight-line but did not exceed 100%. Mr. Butler
also stated 8 accounts had deficits that need to be resolved and 27 accounts had a
few expenditures on accounts that had no budget. He discussed the budget report anomalies
noting significant budget variances for food services resulting from changing from
a management fee contract to a profit and loss arrangement. The net effect on fund
balance will be favorable due to higher than anticipated commissions; however, these
amounts will need to be reconciled when presenting our financial reports.
Mr. Butler discussed the allocation of administrative costs and utilities from E&G to Auxiliaries, which were not budgeted and will create a similar anomaly. Some will stick out in financial reports and different options are being considered, such as transferring funds (below the line) as opposed to transferring expenses; this will not impact budgeted reports.
Mr. Butler proceeded to update on the campus roadmap strategic initiative. He stated Gordian Sightlines has completed the space utilization study and bulleted implementation items that were created in conjunction with academics. At the Board retreat, decision points on the campus roadmap will be reviewed, and once decisions are finalized, work will begin to finalize the roadmap. Next, Mr. Butler discussed his other strategic initiative, the budget process. He stated all enhancements to the revised budget process are now fully implemented; however, we will need to document the process in Policies and Procedures.
Enrollment Update
Dr. Amanda James reported that the Spring 2026 preliminary enrollment report is trending upwards with 7% increase in degree-seeking students and 11% increase in total undergraduate, which is at 3,800 students. Currently, total undergraduate and graduate students is at 4,809, a 10% increase from last year. Freshman fall-to-spring retention is holding steady at 90.9%. Dr. James noted 5,734 students have been admitted for fall, a 5% increase over last year; she mentioned another decision release is scheduled this week. Dr. James reported that freshmen deposits are 24% ahead of last year, which indicates a strong early yield performance. Average GPA for admitted students has increased, and she noted that the average student has a score of 1133 (admitted) or 1118 (enrolled) for SATs and average of 23 for ACT, indicating a consistent improvement for student profile.
Dr. James stated there has been great engagement from admitted students and their families at admitted student receptions. Trustee Williams suggested inviting trustees to these receptions to engage with the new students and help with understanding how they view Winthrop, rather than just seeing data and spreadsheets. Dr. James will compile the dates to share.
Housing Update
Ms. Shelia Burkhalter reported campus is rebounding to numbers from 2018, but noted Winthrop is not over-enrolling as some may suggest due to the housing situation. Ms. Burkhalter reported there are 2,122 beds available for Fall 2026 and Admissions is projecting an estimated 1,100 incoming students will need beds and an estimated 871 sophomores will fall under residency requirements; this limits the number of beds available for upperclassmen. Ms. Burkhalter noted 129 beds are operational holds, which includes spaces for Resident Assistants, accessibility, and maintenance needs. Currently, 451 juniors and seniors are expressing interest in staying on campus. Ms. Burkhalter stated it is standard practice for in-state institutions to not guarantee housing past first-year; Trustee Bigham echoed this claim by noting Clemson and University of South Carolina ensure housing for first-years only.
To assist with concerns over the transition to off-campus housing, SGA is hosting a Town Hall meeting on February 17, 2026; this will address off-campus housing options, how to use financial aid to secure housing, and more. Trustee Imler suggested finance faculty from the School of Business and Technology be present to educate on personal finance and credit to provide students with much-needed tools. Trustee Imler requested to see the housing support tools provided to students at the upcoming Board Retreat. Chair Hamilton suggested Residence Life assist with finding roommates for off-campus housing, such as a list of individuals seeking roommates.
Planning and Review for the February Board Retreat
Chair Hamilton reviewed the itinerary and agenda for the February Board of Trustees
retreat. Each committee chair submitted an agenda, including a brief overview of the
areas the vice presidents will cover. Chair Imler and Chair Driggers briefly discussed
the resolutions their committees will present at the retreat.
Executive Session--pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. §30-4-70(a) (2) for the purpose of discussion
of legal matters covered by the attorney-client privilege related to Winthrop University
Chair Hamilton called for a motion to go into executive session for the purpose of
discussion of legal matters covered by the attorney-client privilege. Trustee Imler
so moved, with a second from Trustee Williams. The vote was unanimous in favor of
the motion.
President Serna, Ms. Phillips, and Ms. Small were invited to remain for the executive session.
Chair Hamilton called for a motion to end executive session. Trustee Imler so moved, seconded by Trustee Bigham. The vote was unanimous to end executive session.
Chair Hamilton reported that no action was taken during executive session and thanked all in attendance at the meeting.
Adjournment
Chair Hamilton called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Imler so moved, seconded by Trustee Driggers. The vote was unanimous to adjourn the meeting. Chair Hamilton adjourned the meeting at 12:21 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Tammie C. Phillips.
