The Roger and Elizabeth Weikle International Opportunities Endowment will support
adjunct faculty or students for international study or learning experiences. Roger Weikle will retire in June after 41 years at Winthrop.
The Weikles in Carcassonne, France
The Weikles in Calgary, Canada
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — International travel can be a life-changing experience.
To allow more students and faculty the opportunity to explore the world, College of Business Administration Dean Roger Weikle and his wife, Elizabeth '83, '85, have established a new endowed fund.
Announced at the dean's April 22 retirement celebration, the Roger and Elizabeth Weikle International Opportunities Endowment will provide financial assistance to business or nutrition majors, or adjunct faculty
within the CBA 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-will focus on supporting adjunct faculty and
students for short-term study abroad trips, semester-long study abroad experiences
or international internships.
Weikle, who retires in June after 41 years at Winthrop, 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.
The Weikles's gift illustrates the university's increased emphasis on creating a thriving culture of philanthropy, with fundraising defined as an essential priority in the Winthrop Plan, the university's strategic plan through 2025.
Roger, professor of management, earned his undergraduate and master's degrees at Marshall
University in Huntington, West Virginia, and his Ph.D. at the University of South
Carolina. At Winthrop, Roger has taught a variety of courses, including human behavior
in organizations, human resource management courses in the undergraduate, master's
and executive MBA programs, employment law, collective bargaining and public policy.
Elizabeth, a Licensed Registered Dietitian, works as an adjunct professor in the Department
of Human Nutrition, where she has taught part-time for 25 years, and as a consultant
in medical nutrition therapy. She also serves as a member of the department's Academic
Advisory Board. Elizabeth earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in human nutrition at Winthrop.
The Weikles have traveled with student groups and seen firsthand the tremendous positive
impact that interactions with different people, cultures and business practices can
have. Elizabeth noted that she and Roger want others to have that opportunity.
"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
For more information, please contact Meredith Carter, communications coordinator,
at 803/323-2236 or carterm@winthrop.edu.
