ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s new leadership-focused Honors College will be led by Nick Grossoehme, a chemistry professor who was selected this week as its inaugural dean.
Provost Sebastian van Delden said he is excited to work alongside Grossoehme to build Winthrop’s first Honors College. “Nick’s positive energy, work ethic, technical acumen and can-do attitude is exactly what the university needs to implement the vision for the college,” added van Delden.
Designed as a hub for existing and new initiatives with a start date of fall 2025, the Honors College will function as a high-impact workforce talent incubator for the region. Honors College students, regardless of their major, will hone their leadership acumen by participating in a required series of leadership development seminars, events, and mentorship sessions to include economic development and community leaders.
Winthrop currently has an Honors Program offered through its University College.
Grossoehme said the Honors Program has been an indispensable component of the Winthrop community. “It gives talented students the opportunity to look deep into themselves, question what they think they understand, expand the scope of their abilities, and learn more about themselves and their abilities along the way,” he said. “The transition from a program to an Honors College allows us to build on this tradition of excellence in a way that develops transferable skills and creates personal and professional connections with community and industry leaders. The future is bright for Winthrop University and the Honors College.”
Van Delden said he is excited about the opportunity to expand on the strong foundation that the current program director, Political Science Professor Michael Lipscomb, and Lipscomb’s predecessor, Professor Emerita of Psychology Kathy Lyon, established. “I extend my sincerest appreciation to Mike for his steady leadership of the program over the last several years. Mike led the program through COVID and built tremendous support for Honors across campus,” he said.
He also thanked donor and alumna Elaine Whitton Davis ’73 of Rock Hill who became the university’s first “Angel Investor” a few weeks ago, pledging a multi-year unrestricted financial gift in support of the Honors College start up.
About Nick Grossoehme
Grossoehme received a B.S. in chemistry/biology from Midland Lutheran College and then a Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. He joined the Winthrop faculty in 2010 as an assistant professor and has risen through the ranks to become a professor in 2020. That same year, he stepped into the role as director of undergraduate research and in this capacity, the percentage of graduates with undergraduate research experience increased 18 percent and advanced undergraduate research experiences increased 14 percent. He also has mentored numerous Honors theses.
Grossoehme was the recipient of Winthrop’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in 2014, the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2016, the Student Life Award in 2017 and the College of Arts and Sciences Lynn Harand Outstanding Advisor Award in 2020.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
