Mahony Updates Campus on Winthrop Plan Progress During Second State of the University Address

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - On October 5, Winthrop University President Dan Mahony, in his State of the University address, shared Winthrop's progress as it continues to lead as an institution that values diversity and focuses on the success of each student. The address gave Mahony the opportunity to update the campus and community on efforts to advance the university's strategic plan.

Mahony debuted the strategic plan, entitled the Winthrop Plan, which serves as a blueprint for the university through 2025, during last year's inaugural State of the University address. The plan outlines the five goals and initiatives that Winthrop will achieve to drive enrollment, retention, student success, diversity and fundraising in order to become a national model for a student-centered university experience.

Mahony began his update by praising the efforts of the campus community over the last year to implement the Winthrop Plan. "I want to start by acknowledging the good work of everyone who has contributed in the last year to Winthrop's varied and significant achievements. Without everyone's contributions - faculty, staff, members of our Boards, alumni volunteers, community supporters, elected government representatives, and student leaders - there would be nothing for us to talk about today. So for all that you do every day for Winthrop, thank you," said Mahony.

He proceeded to provide announcements and updates related to the five goals, such as:

The university received its largest estate gift - $3 million - from late alumna and longtime educator Elizabeth Reed '41, '51 to establish the Elizabeth Hope Reed Fellows Program, a service-focused scholarship program for Winthrop students who demonstrate financial need, maintain good academic standing and commit to volunteering at least eight hours a week.
A new Accounting Mentoring and Professional Development program, with funding assistance from PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been created. The competitive program, aimed at students who are underrepresented in the accounting field, will support students with discipline-specific mentors, internships and other professional development opportunities.
The university performed well on the 2016 National Survey of Student Engagement and exceeded goals in two areas: diversity indicator, which reflects the frequency at which students engage in discussions with others from a different race/ethnicity, economic background, religion, or political perspective than their own, (2017 target: 78 percent; 2017 actual: 79 percent) and student-faculty interaction (2017 stretch target: 47 percent; 2017 actual: 49 percent). Winthrop performed above the national average in both categories.
The 2017 target ($16.8 million) and the 2017 stretch target ($17 million) for student scholarships were well exceeded with a 2017 preliminary achievement of $20 million.
The six-year graduation rate of first-time, full-time freshmen, exceeded the 2017 target goal of 56 percent by posting a 57 percent rate.
The percentage of all full-time employees with salaries at or above the median has increased from 32 percent to 37 percent and exceeds the 2017 target of 35 percent.
Winthrop increased the diversity of Winthrop faculty and managerial staff to 16.4 percent, exceeding both the 2017 target (15 percent) and the 2017 stretch target.
Winthrop significantly exceeded its 2017 stretch target of upgrading technology in six classrooms by doing so in 28 classrooms.
The university's total endowment assets figure of $50.3 million is well ahead of the 2017 stretch target of $47.5 million.

Mahony also noted that in order to improve implementation going forward, he had established five working groups that will provide leadership and coordination in developing and monitoring future initiatives in the Winthrop Plan. "The creation of these working groups will assist in continuing the good work that already has been accomplished in the last year, in addition to providing more transparency throughout this process," Mahony said.

In closing, Mahony noted that over the last year he had seen a shared commitment to what the university is striving to accomplish and an optimism for Winthrop's future. "We will continue to work hard, to improve and to keep our focus on the characteristics and advantages of the Winthrop experience that have brought us this far together."

Visit Mahony's website and look for the full report on all of the plan metrics. A video of the full State of the University presentation will be available at the same site within a few days of the event.

For more information, contact Monica Bennett, director of communications, at 803/323-2236 or bennettm@winthrop.edu.