Mahony steps down as president of Winthrop

Winthrop president steps down, a new interim president to be named by the Board of Trustees

Daniel F. Mahony, the 11th president of Winthrop University, has taken a job at the Southern Illinois University system. He will be leaving Winthrop on March 1, 2020, according to a press release sent out by the University Board of Trustees. 

Speculation about Mahony’s departure has been shared between faculty on campus before the announcement was made. A resolution from the Board of Trustees on June 23, 2017 extended Mahony’s contract to June 30, 2019. This is the last resolution that mentions the president’s contract. During a faculty conference on Nov. 22, Mahony said his contract was public record and that it expired in 2020. 

The Johnsonian reached out to Mahony, Board of Trustees Chair Glenn McCall and Dr. Kimberly Faust, secretary to the Board of Trustees on Nov. 25 about the status of Mahony’s contract and if it had been amended in any way. McCall declined to comment, citing that the contract was a “personnel item.” Mahony directed the request to Faust, who said the Board would require a “formal request,” as described in the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. The request was filed on Nov. 26.

Political science professor Adolphus Belk is chair of Faculty Conference and the faculty’s representative on the Board of Trustees. Belk sent an email to the Trustees on Dec. 2, looking to clarify Mahony’s statement about the contract and the “status of an effective and well-respected president.”

In his email, Belk referenced several of Mahony’s accomplishments for the university, including a diversity rate of 21% for faculty and managerial staff and a record high 6-year graduation rate of 64.1%. He also mentioned the record number of freshman applications in January 2019.

Mahony has been president of Winthrop since July 2015. In his time at the university, he has developed the Winthrop Plan, which has been instrumental in developing the student experience at Winthrop. 

“Dan has been the leader Winthrop needed at a pivotal time in the university’s history. Since he was named 11th president, he has worked to build on Winthrop’s strengths, put students at the forefront of our mission, make the Winthrop experience accessible and affordable, all while helping the university community adapt to the changing realities of public higher education. We are grateful to him for his work at Winthrop over nearly five years,” said Board of Trustees Chair Glenn McCall in the statement. 

Faculty members and students expressed shock over the announcement of Mahony’s departure. 

Political science professor and head of the Winthrop Poll Scott Huffmon, @HuffmonPolitics, tweeted, “My university is losing the best president we’ve had in my tenure here.”

Senior mass communication major Brooke Frierson, @BrookFrierson, tweeted that she was “thoroughly shook” upon reading the email that announced Mahony’s departure. 

Judy Longshaw, Winthrop spokesperson, told The Johnsonian that Mahony will not be making a comment until he returns home from out of town next week. However, he posted on his personal Facebook that he is thankful for the time he has spent at Winthrop. 

The Board of Trustees will name an interim president before the search for the 12th president of Winthrop starts, McCall said.

Photo: Tate Walden/The Johnsonian