My Winthrop Experience

Retired College of Business and Technology Dean Roger Weikle and his wife, Elizabeth '83, '85, have seen firsthand the tremendous positive impact that international travel can have on students' lives. To grant more students and faculty that opportunity, the Weikles established an endowed fund.

The Roger and Elizabeth Weikle International Opportunities Endowment provides financial assistance to business or nutrition majors, or adjunct faculty within CBT or the Department of Human Nutrition. The endowment-funded by a lead gift from the Weikles as well as gifts from the couple's Winthrop colleagues, family and friends-focuses on supporting adjunct faculty and students for short-term study abroad trips, semester-long study abroad experiences or international internships.

Roger noted that international travel allows students and faculty to familiarize themselves with different cultures and prepare themselves for global-minded workplace environments.

"It is gratifying to see the dramatic effects on students as they come to recognize how people, places and events from around the globe connect to their life experiences and prepare them to be more informed citizens of the world," said Roger.

Elizabeth noted that she and Roger want more students and faculty to have the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond the U.S.

"There is a big and exciting world out there that students need to discover," said Elizabeth. "We hope this endowment will help them, in some small way, discover that the world is waiting for them."

To make a gift to the Roger and Elizabeth Weikle International Opportunities Endowment, visit /advancement/make-a-gift.aspx, or send checks made payable to "Winthrop University Foundation" to:
Winthrop University Foundation
302 Tillman Hall
Rock Hill, SC 29733