Permanent employees occupy a state FTE (full-time equivalent) and are eligible for certain state and university benefits. Grant-funded employees also may be eligible for benefits, depending on the terms of the grant.
Non-faculty FTE employees are subject to a one-year probationary period unless they are transferring from another state agency and already have met the probationary requirement.
Participation in the SC Retirement System (SCRS) or one of the Optional Retirement Programs (ORP) is mandatory for all FTE employees (staff and faculty).
FTE staff earn annual and sick leave at an initial rate of 1.25 days per month worked; faculty earn 1.25 sick days per month worked.
Welcome to Winthrop!
The checklist below provides step-by-step instructions to help you navigate the employment and onboarding processes.
Before you arrive on campus, our primary contact with you will be through the email you provided on your application, so please check it regularly.
If you have any questions, please call the Human Resources (HR) office at 803/323-2273 or send email to HRHelp@winthrop.edu.
Once you accept an unofficial offer, watch for an initial email from HR regarding the background check and other pre-employment documents.
Initiate your background check on the S2Verify website using the link provided. Background checks typically take from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how many places you’ve lived and the specific location(s). Please note that failure to initiate your background check in a timely fashion may slow down the hiring process.
Complete and sign the employee certification regarding student loan default and return it to your HR liaison.
Request a copy of your official transcripts from your university and have them sent to the address below or electronically to HRHelp@winthrop.edu.
Winthrop University
303 Tillman Hall
701 Oakland Ave.
Rock Hill, SC 29733
Once the background check is complete, you will receive another email from your HR liaison regarding the federal I-9.
Federal law requires that you complete Sec. 1 of the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification no later than your first day of employment and Sec. 2 within three business days of your first day of employment.
A complete list of acceptable documents is available on the I9 Advantage site—you will need one document from List A OR one document from List B and one from List C.
Once the background check is complete and acceptable for hire and HR has received all of the documents/paperwork listed above, the hiring department initiates the electronic personnel action form (epaf) to complete the hiring process.
When the epaf reaches HR, you will receive an onboarding checklist from PeopleAdmin (PowerSchool) with the following:
HR Forms:
Non-HR Forms:
Request a WIN account to gain access to the university’s information systems, including Wingspan, where you’ll find your leave report/timesheet, tax documents and many other resources. This step must be completed before you can submit your direct deposit information and may take a few days before the account becomes active. Once your WIN account becomes active, HR will begin sending all correspondence to your Winthrop email.
Enter your Direct Deposit (mandatory) information through Wingspan (on the Personal Information dashboard). Click here to view the Employee Self Service Payroll Direct Deposit Instructions.
Parking passes are requested from the Winthrop University Police Department (WUPD) by signing into Wingspan and selecting Parking Permit Application under Employee Tools or by visiting the department at 526 Myrtle Drive.
Information and forms for state insurance benefits and retirement options are sent by the benefits team a few days before you start, along with an invitation to set up a meeting regarding enrollment.
You have 30 days to enroll in one of the South Carolina retirement programs, which include a defined-benefit, or pension, plan (known as SCRS) and several defined-contribution (403B and 401K) plans (known as ORP). You will receive an email directly from the S.C. Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) with a link to the state Employee Enrollment System.
If you fail to make an election within 30 days, you will default into the pension plan.
If you have not received an email within the first couple of days of employment, check your spam folder; if you cannot locate the email, contact the Human Resources Office at HRHelp@winthrop.edu.
You have 31 days to enroll or opt out of state insurance benefits (health, vision, dental, life and short- and long-term disability).
Within a few days before or immediately after your start date, you will receive an email from HR regarding mandatory training.
All Winthrop employees are required to complete harassment and discrimination training within the first 30 days of employment. You will access the material through Wingspan. Please plan for approximately 100 minutes to complete the five courses and review the three related policies. If you need assistance, contact the HR office at HRHelp@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2273.
Pay/Time Sheets/Leave Reports
Stay Connected
The online Daily Digest, which is emailed to all faculty and staff each morning at 9 a.m., is a good source of information on campus activities, including parking lot closures.
Instructions for recruiting and filling Staff positions
The supervisor reviews the position description in PeopleAdmin and makes any necessary updates. The position description drives a position’s classification and salary, so the job purpose, required and preferred qualifications, and job duties, including percentages, must be as accurate as possible. Instructions on navigating the PeopleAdmin Position Management module can be found here: https://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/hr/InstructionsForUpdatingPositionDescription.pdf.
Personnel Requisition forms are used to fill positions that have been vacant for less than a year. It is the supervisor’s/department’s responsibility to secure all required signatures—department head and/or dean and divisional vice president—before sending the form to the Budget Office; the Budget Office forwards the completed form to HR. Please note that the Budget Office will not sign off on a personnel requisition until an End (or Change in Employment) epaf has been initiated.
Once HR receives the completed personnel requisition, the Employment Manager reviews the position description to confirm the classification and market data matches, determine the competitive median and salary range, and prepare the Request to Post. The Request to Post is reviewed by HR leadership before being presented to the President for approval. (Click here to review the Pay Administration Guidelines, which were approved in 2022 and outline how the university determines salary.)
If a position has been vacant for a year or more, the supervisor/department submits a Request to Establish New Position form in lieu of a personnel requisition. Please contact the Employment Manager to request this form, which is not available online.
Once you receive the form, the supervisor/department:
The Employment Manager reviews the position description to determine the classification and market data matches, determines the competitive median and salary range, and prepares the Request to Post. The Request to Post is reviewed by HR leaders before being presented to the President for approval.
All personnel requests received by noon on Monday are prepared for the President’s review/approval the following week (usually Tuesday).
The Employment Manager or Employment Specialist notifies the supervisor/department once the President reviews the request.
The Employment Manager or Employment Specialist creates the JVN using the position description in PeopleAdmin and forwards it to the Hiring Supervisor for review.
A posting may include up to five screening questions, which are part of the official application process and help identify the most qualified applicants. Hiring supervisors are encouraged to email suggestions to HR staff handling the search; if none are submitted, HR drafts three to five questions and submits them to the supervisor along with the JVN for review/approval.
Hiring supervisors should communicate how long they want a posting to remain open. Per state regulations, the minimum is five business days; given today’s job market, we suggest at least two weekends.
Supervisors who choose to use a search committee should email the names of the members to the HR employment team at the time the JVN is posted.
Once the Hiring Supervisor transitions the JVN back to HR, the announcement is posted on Winthrop’s job page (PeopleAdmin), the HR Employment Opportunities web page, the job board outside the HR Office, and the State of South Carolina jobs website (NeoGov). HR staff also will send the hiring supervisor a direct link to the JVN for use on external websites and listservs
Winthrop postings are automatically picked up by Indeed and Inside Higher Ed. Departments are welcome to post on other external websites and listservs as long as the ad is based on the language in the official JVN and includes the following language:
Winthrop University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group of individuals on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
HR employment staff are happy to assist departments seeking to post on external websites, listservs and/or professional job boards; the department is responsible for paying for any additional advertising.
Once a posting closes, the Employment Manager or Employment Specialist reviews all applications and refers applicants who meet the minimum requirements, as outlined in the JVN.
Please note that it is not Winthrop policy to conduct courtesy interviews. Applicants, including internal applicants, who do not meet the minimum requirements outlined in the JVN cannot be interviewed.
The Employment Manager/Employment Specialist ensure that all searches follow equal employment opportunity (EEO) and fair employment practices and are consistent with Winthrop policies and procedures. The Employment Manager also assumes the role of Affirmative Action Representative in the staff hiring process, providing guidance and direction with regard to the university's commitment to affirmative action and the hiring supervisor’s responsibilities, as outlined in the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission guidelines.
Once applicants are referred, the hiring supervisor reviews applications and coordinates/conducts interviews. The Employment Manager can provide information on legal and effective interviewing and is available to participate as a member of the search committee.
Once a candidate is selected, the hiring supervisor should conduct reference checks for both internal and external candidates. Whenever possible, reference checks should include current and former supervisors.
If the reference check is acceptable, the supervisor moves the selected candidate from a status of Interviewed to Recommend for Hire. At that point, a member of the employment team creates the hiring proposal, which includes the starting salary and tentative start date. (Keep in mind that permanent, FTE staff start on the 1st or 16th of the month or the first business day thereafter if the university is closed on that date.)
Once the hiring supervisor receives the hiring proposal, he/she/they makes the unofficial offer, which is contingent on a successful background check, submission of the student-loan default certification, receipt of official transcripts, when appropriate, and approval of the epaf. If the applicant accepts the unofficial offer, the Hiring Supervisor moves the candidate to Accept.
If the selected candidate counters the unofficial offer and the department wants to meet the counter offer, the supervisor submits to the Employment Manager a written justification for the higher salary based on the candidate’s qualifications, as compared to the requirements outlined in the JVN, along with confirmation from the Dean or Vice President that the additional funds are available. Counter Offers are prepared by HR for approval by the President.
Once the candidate has been moved to a status of Accept, HR initiates the background check and collects other pre-employment forms and documents.
Once HR notifies the Hiring Supervisor that the background check results are acceptable for hire, the department initiates the new hire or change in employment (for internal applicants) epaf.
Once the background check is complete, the hiring supervisor also must move all applicants to a final disposition in the system—Interviewed, Not Hired or Not Interviewed, Not Hired. Although reasons for not selecting candidates are provided in the PeopleAdmin System, the Hiring Supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the reasons selected are true and accurate. The epaf will not be approved until all applicants are at a final disposition.
The official offer can be made once the epaf is fully approved. The search is officially closed and non-selected applicants are notified at the time HR approves the epaf. Supervisors are welcome to inform interviewed candidates personally when a position has been filled. We recommend providing a neutral, nonspecific reason, for example, “Thank you for applying, but we have decided to pursue another applicant whose qualifications more closely meet our needs at this time.”
Welcome to Winthrop!
The checklist below provides step-by-step instructions to help you navigate the employment and onboarding processes.
Before you arrive on campus, our primary contact with you will be through the email you provided on your application, so please check it regularly.
If you have any questions, please call the Human Resources (HR) office at 803/323-2273 or send email to HRHelp@winthrop.edu.
Employment Documents/Action Checklist
HR becomes involved in the faculty hiring process once the Provost’s Office forwards a signed copy of the offer letter.
Initiate your background check on the S2Verify website using the link provided by
HR via email.
Background checks typically take from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on
how many places you’ve lived and the specific location(s).
Please note that failure to initiate your background check in a timely fashion may
slow down the hiring process.
Complete and sign the employee certification regarding student loan default and return it to your HR liaison.
Once the background check is complete, you will receive another email from your HR liaison regarding the federal I-9.
Federal law requires that you complete Sec. 1 of the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification no later than your first day of employment and Sec. 2 within three business days of your first day of employment.
A complete list of acceptable documents is available on the I9 Advantage site—you will need one document from List A OR one document from List B and one from List C.
Once the background check is complete and acceptable for hire and HR has received the documents/paperwork listed in Step 1, you will receive a third email from HR containing your user name and password for the PeopleAdmin system.
A system-generated email will arrive soon after with a link to the remaining employment forms.
Request a WIN account to gain access to the university’s information systems, including Wingspan, where you’ll find your leave report, tax documents and many other resources. This step must be completed before you can submit your direct deposit information and may take a few days before the account becomes active. Once your WIN account becomes active, HR will begin sending all correspondence to your Winthrop email.
Enter your Direct Deposit information through Wingspan (on the Personal dashboard). Click here to view the Employee Self Service Payroll Direct Deposit Instructions.
Parking passes are requested from the Winthrop University Police Department (WUPD) by signing into Wingspan and selecting Parking Permit Application under Employee Tools or by visiting the department at 526 Myrtle Drive.
Information and forms for state insurance benefits and retirement options is sent by the Benefits team a few days before you start, along with an invitation to set up a meeting regarding enrollment.
You have 30 days to enroll in one of the South Carolina retirement programs, which include a defined-benefit, or pension, plan (known as SCRS) and several defined-contribution (403B and 401K) plans (known as ORP). You will receive an email directly from the S.C. Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) with a link to the state Employee Enrollment System.
If you fail to make an election within 30 days, you will default into the pension plan.
If you have not received an email within the first couple of days of employment, please check your spam folder; if you cannot locate the email, contact the Human Resources Office at HRHelp@winthrop.edu.
You have 31 days to enroll or opt out of state insurance benefits (health, dental, vision, life and short-and long-term disability).
Within a few days before or immediately after your start date, you will receive an email from HR regarding mandatory training.
All Winthrop employees are required to complete harassment and discrimination training within the first 30 days of employment. You will access the material through Wingspan. Please plan for approximately 100 minutes to complete the five courses and review the three related policies. If you need assistance, contact the HR office at HRHelp@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2273.
Employees are paid twice monthly—on the 1st and 16th of the month or the prior business day if the 1st or 16th falls on a weekend or holiday. Hours worked between the 1st and the 15th of the month are paid on the 16th, and work performed from the 16th through the end of the month is paid on the 1st of the following month.
Leave Reports are accessed through the employee dashboard on Wingspan and should be submitted per the published schedule (payroll calendar).
The online Daily Digest, which is emailed to all faculty and staff each morning at 9 a.m., is a good source of information on campus activities, including parking lot closures.
The Provost's Office approves and manages all faculty searches.
Training Materials (pdf 102kb)
