Martin Roth’s business background and focus on revenue may inspire those who are worried about Winthrop’s shrinking budget, however, it has made some students feel he only values them for their tuition.
Roth is currently the president of the University of Charleston in West Virginia where he has served since 2018 and holds a contract until 2025. Previously, he was dean of the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford and for 16 years he was a professor of international business at the University of South Carolina.
“Working with a college community to provide inspirational and strategic direction is one of my
strong suits. I have an extensive track record of cultivating innovation, including the design and
development of degrees, certificates, partnerships, student services, and community
engagements,” Roth said in his application to the position of president.
He told gathered students at the meet and greet that he likes to attend university events, meet with student government and eat in the dining hall at his current university and plans to do the same at Winthrop. He also teaches two classes, one online and one in-person, at his current institution.
At the University of Charleston, Roth has implemented professional development events to identify bias and increase equity, which are required for faculty to complete. He said it was hard for his university to hire diverse faculty and staff due to their location, so needed to implement these programs to help the students at the university feel safe and understood.
According to Roth, despite Winthrop having “a stronger regional and national reputation, a more robust program portfolio and a location with more favorable demographic and economic conditions” than the University of Charleston, Winthrop still has several issues.
Winthrop needs to focus on creating a new mission statement, Roth said. By having a “common message,” Winthrop can better stand out in a competitive higher-education market.
Another way Winthrop can stand out in the market, according to Roth, is by having new in-demand programs, such as nursing. Despite the up-front costs like hiring staff and investing in technology, Roth said he believes it would generate needed income for the university.
“We’ve hit some speed bumps with regard to COVID. We’ve hit some speed bumps with regard to how we’ve been able to attract students. But those are fixable problems. And there’s exciting opportunities with regard to new programs, new events, and we can figure out how to navigate this terrain, and put ourselves on a path for growth, with some good strategic thinking, that brings us all together around a common vision,” Roth said.
Roth said he is more focused on the creation of new opportunities for students to come to Winthrop than he is focused on fixing Winthrop’s existing problems. When asked which he would prioritize, he said that if Winthrop had the resources to fix it’s problems, it would have already.
Some students feel he focuses too much on finances and not enough on student’s lives.
“He seemed like he would make the board [of trustees] lots of money, but he didn’t seem to care about students as much as the other candidates,” said Toluwayan Agbeyomi, a sophomore business major.
Roth spoke of students as having value only because of the money they bring to the university when he answered a question by Brent Best, Assistant Track and Field Coach, about funding for Winthrop’s athletic program, which Best said has “one of the worst funded Division One NCAA athletic programs in the country.”
“So look at our institution, we have about 12,000 full time undergraduate students, but half of them are student athletes. You know, they’re great kids, we love having them… But they’re also expecting an additional athletic scholarship… Believe me, if we could replace some of those student athletes with non athletes and make more money, we would. But the reality is, we have to fill our dorms. We have to sell meal plans,” Roth said.
Roth also referred to alumni’s opinions having more weight if they were donors. At a previous institution, the basketball team made it into the NCAA tournament for the first time, but the marketing at the university did not publicize it, and the university transitioned the program from Division One to Division Three.
“You look on social media, and there were a lot of very unhappy alumni. Now, I don’t know if those alumni were actively engaged. I don’t know if those alumni were big donors. It may be that some of the biggest donors are like, finally, you guys made the right decision,” Roth said. “I don’t know. But we really have to be pretty thoughtful.”
If he becomes the next president of Winthrop, Roth said he expects to stay for around ten years, then retire, if he can improve the university in the way he wants in that time. He gave the Charleston Gazette a very similar statement in 2018 when he arrived at the University of Charleston.
“I hope this is my last job,” Roth told the Gazette.
