There was excitement at the Friday, April 28, regularly scheduled meeting of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees, as a 10 a.m. press conference was held to announce the space that Winthrop will lease downtown to accommodate our growing esports program. By the start of the fall semester, the program will move to the Lowenstein Building in the University Center/Knowledge Park area steps from campus. Read more about the new space.
In the afternoon, the board voted unanimously to expand the name of the Richard W. Riley College of Education to better reflect the diversity of its programs. The new name will be the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences, Sport and Human Sciences as of July 1. Read more about that decision.
In other business, the trustees voted:
· To continue to suspend the requirement that applicants for the next two admissions
cycles must provide standardized test results to be considered for admission. For
several years, Winthrop suspended the use of such test results such as the SAT or
ACT as a requirement to apply and instead made it optional, as did other colleges
and universities across the nation and in South Carolina.
· To adjust some student course and lab fees for the upcoming fall semester. In December,
the board approved 63 course and lab fee changes to better reflect actual costs for
software, equipment or supplies used in courses. At this meeting, 47 additional courses
and labs saw fee adjustments.
· To add a Bachelor of Arts in music degree concentration in commercial music in response
to increasing numbers of students who want training in jazz, pop and other contemporary
genres and for training in music production.
· To approve the use of the emeritus/a title for administrators in addition to faculty
members if appropriate. Various privileges are extended to those with such a title
at Winthrop, such as use of the library, use of recreational facilities, a Winthrop
email account and associated software access, etc.
· To approve the nominating committee consisting of trustees Robby Sisco, Isaiah Venning
and Sandra Stroman.
The Board of Trustees also approved a $6 million list of projects funded by the state:
· $1.6 million to renovate the Joynes admissions office’s lobby, meeting room and bathrooms;
· $1 million for mechanical, roof and envelope renovations at McBryde Hall;
· $600,000 for interior repairs in the Conservatory of Music, Thurmond Building, Withers/W.T.S. Building, Johnson Hall and McLaurin Hall;
· $500,000 for interior renovation of Kinard Hall;
· $500,000 for a shortfall in facilities and IT operating areas;
· $350,000 for athletics, including $100,000 for the baseball stadium;
· $350,000 for classroom furniture replacement, phase two;
· $200,000 for relocating the Office of Accessibility and for campus accessibility projects;
· $150,000 for fire sprinkler head replacements in various buildings; and
· $150,000 for various small facilities projects.
Finally, five contracts exceeding $250,000 were approved by the board.
Thank you for your interest in the activities of the Board of Trustees.
Edward
Edward A. Serna
