message from the PRESIDENT Dear Friends:

As this Winthrop Magazine edition was nearing completion, Winthrop, and the world, was faced with an unprecedented disruption to our normal business operations due to COVID-19.

We made the decision to move all of our classes for the remainder of the spring semester to a remote learning format, and we cancelled or postponed all university-sponsored on- and off-campus events through May 9, including spring Commencement ceremonies, in order to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

These were difficult, but the right, decisions to make. I never would have imagined us having to meet such challenges during my first month as interim president, but I have been more than impressed with the tenacious Winthrop spirit that has seen us through these difficult times. We will get through this together, and I look forward to the time when we can all be safely back on Winthrop’s beautiful campus.

As we are all practicing social distancing and perhaps finding ourselves with more time on our hands, I encourage you to spend a few minutes reading about some of the compelling stories that fill this Winthrop Magazine edition, including:

• A look at several pre-COVID-19 faculty- and staff-led international trips that gave our students life-changing experiences.

• The successful men’s basketball and volleyball seasons that resulted in Big South Conference championships.

• Compelling profiles on former soccer players turned entrepreneurs Alex Isern ’12 and Marc Segarra ’13; former tennis player and now tax professional Ana Simanca Hayden ’05; and artist and educator Karen Oremus of the fine arts faculty.

It’s been a challenging time, but as I have seen this community do before, Winthrop rises to the challenge. In the coming months, as we hopefully get back to normal ways of life, I will continue to listen and discover all that I can about Winthrop — from you and others who can provide valuable insight. My wife, Alison, and I look forward to seeing you around campus and in your communities when it is safe to do so. Thank you for your love of this university and for welcoming us into the Winthrop family.

Sincerely,

WR

WINTHROP UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

GLENN MCCALL Chair, Rock Hill

KATHY HUDSON BIGHAM ’73 Vice Chair, Rock Hill

ED DRIGGERS ’92 Greer

JULIE GORE FOWLER ’85, ’88 Simpsonville

DONNA GLENN HOLLEY Columbia

TIMOTHY L. HOPKINS ’83, ’85, ’00 Lugoff

RANDY IMLER ’87, ’00 Tega Cay

JANE LAWTON LAROCHE ’70 Camden

TIM SEASE ’87 Mt. Pleasant

ROBBY SISCO ’80 Florence

JANET RICE SMALLEY ’72 Walhalla

SANDRA STROMAN ’73, ’76 Chester

ISAIAH VENNING ’95, ’00 Rock Hill

ASHLYE WILKERSON ’05 Columbia

GARY WILLIAMS ’11 Rock Hill

ADOLPHUS BELK JR. Faculty Representative

IMANI BELTON Student Representative

GEORGE W. HYND Interim President

KIMBERLY FAUST

Vice President and Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Board of Trustees

George W. Hynd Interim President

ELLEN WILDER-BYRD ’88, ’94

Associate Vice President for Communications and Market ing

DEPARTMENTS CAMPUS NEWS

ALUMNI NEWS ADVANCEMENT NEWS

CLASS NOTES MILESTONES

NOTES About the Cover

Winthrop students take a selfie while snorkeling in the Bahamas and collecting coral health data. They took the geology trip with Professor Diana Boyer.

Winthrop Magazine is published for alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends of Winthrop University by University Communications and Marketing.

Winthrop University offers equal opportunity in its employment, admissions and educational activities.

All cities referenced in editorial content are located in South Carolina unless otherwise indicated.

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MONICA BENNETT, editor PETER AIRHEART, senior designer

contributing writers: KAYE HAYES JUDY LONGSHAW

FEATURES

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM INTERIM PRESIDENT, LIFELONG LEARNER

BASKETBALL & VOLLEYBALL CHAMPS SPREADING LOVE FOR THE SPORT CELEBRATING CLOSE TIES VISUALIZING THE INVISIBLE

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