SUMMER 2022


CAMPUS NEWS


Program Recognized as One of Top in Country for Preparing Future Math Elementary Teachers


The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) is a national research and policy organization that regularly evaluates the core requirements and practices of more than 1,100 programs that prepare future elementary teachers. In a recent report, Winthrop’s undergraduate program earned an A+ designation for its requirements in elementary mathematics. It is among only 79 programs in the nation and one of three in South Carolina to earn this distinction as an “exemplar” in the new report.


The undergraduate elementary teacher prepa- ration program has been named among the best in the nation when it comes to ensuring future elementary teachers have the essential content and skills they need to teach mathematics.


NCTQ evaluated programs for their coverage of both the key mathematics content that elemen- tary teachers need as well as how to teach those concepts.


Winthrop stood apart by meeting 100 percent of the instructional goals across each of the ele- mentary mathematics topic areas.


Fall Exhibition to Honor Late Photographer Joel “Nick” Nichols Anyone photographed by long-time Winthrop Photographer Joel “Nick”


Nichols would have heard “Just one more.”


Nichols spent 46 years taking photographs of important events and daily life on campus and activities in the community. He passed away in December 2020.


He will be remembered with a photography exhibition, entitled “’Just One More…’ Celebrating the Life and Work of Joel “Nick” Nichols,” that opens Sept. 16 in the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections. Several mini- exhibitions will be installed around campus and in Rock Hill that will showcase his work.


The exhibitions will remain up through Homecoming and Reunion celebrations in November. For more information, contact the archives, 803/323-2334.


Andrew Besmer Named 2022-23 Thompson Scholar


Andrew Besmer, an associate professor of computer science, was recently an- nounced as the university’s 2022-23 Thompson Scholar.


The monetary award, generated through the Robert and Norma Thompson Endowment, which was established during the university's first capital campaign, sup- ports work on projects that strengthen the academic, intellectual and co-curricular life of the university.


Besmer plans to use his time as the Thompson Scholar to restart the hack- a-thon computing competitions that he coordinated before the COVID pandemic started in 2020. He worked with several local companies to sponsor the contests involving Winthrop students, York Tech students, high school students and com- munity members.


2022-23 Common Book Selected


“The Girl Who Smiled Beads,” by Clemantine Wamariya, has been selected as the univer- sity’s 2022-23 Common Book.


A New York Times bestseller, the book shares the story of two sisters who fled the Rwandan massacre in 1994. The two migrated through seven African nations in search of safety while also enduring and escaping refugee camps and ultimately gaining asylum in the United States. The author’s experiences along this journey, including the piercing differences between her experiences and those of her older sister, are a moving and complex account of the atrocities of war, as well as the power of the human spirit.


The topics of diversity, cultural awareness, and global connectedness raised in the book remain as relevant as ever in society and continue to be themes that are im- portant to Winthrop’s mission and overall learning goals.


Incoming freshmen and transfer students received the book during the sum- mer and will participate in Common Book pro- gramming throughout the academic year.


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