Recap of Winthrop Board of Trustees April 9 Action

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s Board of Trustee members voted April 9 to extend the temporary suspension of standardized test results as a student admissions requirement for two additional academic years. The current temporary requirements now will be in place through fall 2023.

This will allow current high school juniors who may have not had access to testing sites to apply to Winthrop and still meet requirements. Also, university officials said that adjusting the admissions criteria will allow for a more accurate analysis of enrollment, retention and academic progress of incoming students over a period of time.  

Winthrop’s research has found that an applicant’s high school GPA is the best predictor of a student’s undergraduate academic performance, retention and eventual graduation. National studies have reached similar conclusions. 

The university started using alternative methods of evaluation in 2020. Other S.C. colleges and universities also have made a standardized test score optional on a permanent basis or for a period of time. 

In other action on April 9, board members:

• Set the fees for three new online graduate courses which start this fall: M.S. Human Nutrition, M.S. Sport and Fitness Administration; and M.Ed. Literacy. Board members also decided to set the in-state M.B.A. rate the same as the online M.B.A. rate so campus-based students can register for the online courses. This will allow for greater efficiency and will allow the College of Business Administration to market the program in three formats: online, in-seat and flexible.

• Voted to reinstate a fee to support the Learning Excellent Academic Practices (LEAP) program in fall 2021. The one-time $400 fee will allow provisionally admitted first-year students to benefit from a program with an excellent track record in promoting academic success.

• Refined the university’s policy in naming facilities, units and positions so that such opportunities are more equitable, consistent and appropriate across the university, as reflective of best practice.

• Charged Interim President George W. Hynd with submitting a robust strategic marketing plan for the university by the trustees’ June meeting. 

Additionally at the meeting, interim women’s basketball Coach Semeka Randall Lay was announced as the permanent head coach. Joined by members of her staff and players, “Coach Meek” was warmly welcomed by trustees, who also saw Sen. Wes Climer, R-York County, swear in the newest trustee, John Brazell.

For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or longshawj@winthrop.edu.