I’ve always loved the blue skies of October, and the chill in the air these last few days reminds us we are well into fall. I am happy to say that we had a fruitful meeting with trustees last week, and I wanted to provide you with a recap of the Oct. 12 board action.
Chief among the important actions undertaken was adoption of the new Mission, Vision and Values Statements for the university. This historic change sets us up for success as we prepare to roll out a new strategic plan early next year. As Board Chair Glenn McCall noted, “These new statements support who Winthrop is, the type of institution Winthrop aspires to be, and what the institution values most and wants to instill in its students.” I couldn’t agree more! You may read the full text of the new statements here.
Trustees also approved the renaming of two key academic areas to better describe where they are and where they are headed. At long last, the College of Business Administration will become the College of Business and Technology, while the Graduate School will become the School of Graduate, Continuing, and Online Education. Both name changes will take effect on or before July 1, 2024.
Board members approved and awarded the following contracts:
*Complete Demolition Services, the abatement contract for Wofford and Richardson residence halls.
*Dach Enterprises, the contract for the McLaurin Hall flood repair work.
*Architectural firm McMillan Pazdan Smith, the contract to begin design work for a new cafeteria.
In other miscellaneous action, board members also approved:
*My 2023-24 goals and objectives.
*A contract with Walk 2 Campus for use of around 50 rooms this semester at CampusWalk
apartment building.
*Course fees for the spring 2024 semester.
*A candidate for a future honorary degree to be announced at a later date.
In addition to the action of the board, I was very pleased that trustees had several opportunities over the course of their visit to engage with students who talked about their artwork, research, student government work and experiences as athletes. I know our trustees likely enjoyed that interaction even more than the business items above!
As always, thank you for your interest in the activities of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees.
Edward
Edward A. Serna
