CAMPUS NEWS Trustees Take Action on Several Items at June Meeting


During a June 19 meeting, members of the Winthrop Board of Trustees discussed and voted on several important items. Read more about these action items:


Renaming of Tillman Hall


Trustees voted unanimously on a resolution request- ing state legislators to consider an amendment to the Heritage Act of 2000 to allow Winthrop to restore Tillman Hall to its original name of Main Building.


Trustees do not have the power to change the name of Tillman, the university’s first building in Rock Hill. That power belongs to the S.C. General Assembly who enacted the Heritage Act as part of a compro- mise that led to the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House dome. The act forbids the removal of other flags from public property or memorials for any war, historic figure or event without a two-thirds vote by state legislators.


“Trustees believe this will strengthen the sense of belonging among members of the campus commu- nity and is the right thing to do,” said Glenn McCall, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We also resolved to advance equality and inclusion in order to become a truly diverse, inclusive and tolerant community for all members of the Winthrop family.”


Tillman Hall was named for Benjamin R. Tillman, a South Carolina governor, U.S. senator and a driving force behind state support for Winthrop. A divisive man, Tillman gained popularity as a staunch supporter of agricultural populism and then became the archi- tect of state Jim Crow laws. He is remembered as an avowed white supremacist and a violent advocate of lynch law.


Board Officers Re-elected


Trustees unanimously re-elected Chairman Glenn McCall to lead the Board of Trustees, the university’s governing body. Kathy Bigham was re-elected as


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No Tuition Increase for 2020-21


Trustees voted unanimously for no tuition increase for the 2020-21 academic year.


McCall said the vote signified that trustees understand how a COVID-19-shuttered econo- my has negatively affected students and their families. “Keeping tuition at 2019-20 levels is a way we can show prospective and returning students that the Winthrop family will assist them in fulfilling their educational goals, even in uncertain times,” McCall said.


Room fees will be discounted as a result of the university’s decision to move to remote instruction after Thanksgiving.


Tennis Programs


Discontinued Winthrop Athletics has discontinued men’s and women’s tennis following a vote by trustees.


The 12 returning students will retain their scholarships through the completion of their fourth academic year if they choose to remain at Winthrop.


The decision is a result of the financial impact brought about by COVID-19.


vice chair. The two were selected for leadership for the third consecutive year.


Both are Rock Hill residents and will serve one-year terms beginning July 1.


SUMMER 2020


Faculty Members Celebrated with Top Awards


Three faculty members were recognized this spring with awards for their significant contributions and scholarship.


Brad Witzel, an education professor and


program director of special education, was named the recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award, the highest recognition for faculty members. Crystal Glover ’97, ’99, an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, was recognized with the Outstanding Junior Professor Award, and Adriana Cordis, an associate professor of accounting, earned the Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award. Read more about their recent awards.


Winthrop Receives National First-gen Forward Designation


Crystal Glover Brad Witzel


CAMPUS NEWS


Adriana Cordis


The Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education – and The Suder Foundation, has designated Winthrop as one of its 2021-22 First-gen Forward Institutions.


The First-gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education that have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first- generation college students. Selected institutions receive professional development, community- building experiences and a first look at the center’s research and resources.


“Student Affairs is excited to work with the TRiO Achievers Program, the McNair Scholars Program and the rest of the Winthrop community to think more strategically about serving first-gen students at Winthrop,” said Shelia Higgs Burkhalter, vice president for student affairs, who was a first- generation college student. She added that efforts to advance first-generation students will ultimately benefit all students on campus.


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