Do you have any specific goals for the 2019-2020 school year that you would like to see Winthrop achieve?
All of our goals are outlined in the Winthrop Plan online. They continue to focus on improving the student experience and student success, increasing diversity, improving facilities, increasing facilities and many more. On Oct. 29, I will give my state of the university address and will do a more thorough review of last year’s success and our goals for this year. I encourage everyone to attend.
Are there any changes that have taken place since last school year that you would like students to be aware of?
The My Ride free electric bus system rolled out over the summer, and the city reports that ridership has been steadily increasing. Ever since I came to Winthrop, I’ve heard from students about the need for free transportation to help get around our city, and I’m proud Winthrop is partnering to bring the buses to campus. There’s route information available online and via an app, plus there are several convenient stops on campus, so I hope students will use the new bus system and encourage others to do the same. I encourage everyone to download the app as soon as possible – I have already done that myself.
After requests from the university community for changing to a removable parking permit that is not affixed to the vehicle, Winthrop is for the first time implementing hangtags for the 2019-20 year. The hangtags will cost members of our community the same as the former decals. However, you may now register two cars per hangtag and switch the hangtag between the two vehicles. It is important to note that this new change will put more responsibility on the person who registered the vehicle to make sure she or he keeps up with the permit and displays it as required. There will be fines for individuals who register their vehicle but do not display their permit and/or park in locations where they are not designated to park. There are a number of reasons for the change: privacy concerns, issues with affixing decals to some vehicles, and the convenience factor. We believe it is the right time to move to a removable parking permit and see how the new system works for our campus. Frequently asked questions about the new system are available on the Campus Police website.
Our first eSports team will begin representing Winthrop this fall with [a] number of players who have been recruited by Coach Josh Sides. Ours is one of the few eSports programs in the country being played at a varsity level as part of a Division I athletics program. This is an example of what I call a destination program that will attract students to the university who would otherwise not consider Winthrop, and we should have about 14-15 new student athletes on our team enrolling in the university this fall. It is also the kind of innovation in our programming that is encouraged in the Winthrop Plan and will enhance the Winthrop experience.
For a number of years, York County’s Pennies for Progress has been collecting taxes to enhance pedestrian safety along Cherry Road. Of greatest interest to our campus is the section from Oakland Avenue to Alumni Drive. Work on this project started some time back and continues this fall, as anyone can tell traveling to campus via Cherry Road. While the construction period is always a challenge, the coming transformation of Cherry Road is exciting for Winthrop.
Are there any events taking place during the 2019-2020 school year that you are looking forward to?
Besides Convocation and Welcome Week… I want to mention a couple of events. One is a campus safety week that is in the planning stages for Sept. 16-20 and is being coordinated by Vice President for Student Affairs Shelia Burkhalter and a cross-campus team she’s leading. We envision this to be a week of various activities to shine a light on how we can be proactive in our safety and security on campus. Residence Life already has a programming focus on this during September, but this effort will be a way to engage the entire campus community in raising awareness and providing training. It will allow us to touch on a lot of topics that have been bubbling up with students over the last semester.
We are very excited to be hosting singer/songwriter Alessia Cara on Oct. 4, and we are hoping for a big crowd. When students talk about wanting to have more shows with wide appeal and bigger name acts, we have to prove to promoters and others that our students will turn out for these events. So I hope many will attend this event. There’s a link on the homepage for more information, and a student discount code has been emailed to all students.
Finally, it is not too early to mention changes that are coming with Homecoming tailgating in November. I want to note that tailgating is an important tradition that brings together students, alumni and the community, and the changes we are making will help us better manage this popular event. Last year’s tailgate attracted the largest number of participants yet, and it prompted us to look at best practices for managing the game day experience. These changes will lead to a safer and more enjoyable experience for all. More information is available on the homecoming website, and the tailgate reservation system will go live on Sept. 3.
Do you have any advice for incoming students, whether they are freshmen, transfer or non-traditional students?
First, go to class, every class. Get engaged in organizations on campus and in the community. Attend a wide variety of events – there are so many to choose from including athletics, theater, musical performances, speakers and more. Take extra time to get to know the faculty and staff here. You don’t have that luxury at larger schools. Take advantage of that. Finally, spend as much time on campus as possible, and if you live on campus, don’t go home on the weekends. Seven days a week, there are exciting opportunities at Winthrop, so when you wake up every day, take a moment to decide how you can best take advantage of as many of those opportunities as possible.
Is there anything else you would like the Winthrop student body to know?
I’m still available for lunch in Thomson with students. Just send me an email at president@winthrop.edu. And have a fantastic semester!
