Faculty and Staff - October 26, 2023

We’re wrapping up another fantastic month!

October has been full and productive! We met with the Board of Trustees, traveled to Columbia to advocate for Winthrop, we hosted a fun and well-attended Family Day, we celebrated 25 years of hosting the U.S. Disc Golf Championship and our Presidential Elections Initiative welcomed another three candidates to campus (friendly reminder: candidate visits do not constitute an endorsement from Winthrop of any party, candidate, or ideological perspective). It’s been a busy and rewarding few weeks!

I wanted to take a moment to share with you these items of interest:

State Budget Request
The Division of Finance and Business Affairs prepared and submitted the 2024-2025 Agency Budget Plan to the State Department of Administration’s Executive Budget Office. Vice President for Finance and Business Justin Oates, Dean of Admissions/AVP Amanda James and I presented our request on Oct. 19 at the Governor’s budget hearing as a first step in the budget process. We asked for support for a tuition strategy (more to come on that next week), new academic programs, infrastructure and renovations in a combination of recurring and capital requests.  

Nov. 6-11 Homecoming and Reunion Week
I am excited to participate in next month’s Homecoming and Reunion events! Last year, my family and I had such a great time attending various events and meeting so many people. We’re looking forward to it again this year, and I hope you are as well. Please visit the Homecoming website to see the full schedule of events. If you plan to tailgate on Nov. 11 ahead of the 2 p.m. volleyball game and the 5:30 p.m. men’s basketball game, please check out tailgating information online and purchase your spot if needed. Let’s get ready to have a great time!

Employee Satisfaction Survey Reminder
Finally, the “Let Your Voice Be Heard” employee engagement survey is currently live and available through Oct. 27. You should have received emails on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23 from Korn Ferry asking you to participate in the survey. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, if you haven’t already, and help us make Winthrop a better place to live, learn, and work. Survey results will be shared with the campus community once Korn Ferry has had an opportunity to analyze the data and provide results to us (likely after we return from the December holiday break).

Thank you all for everything that you do for Winthrop. Please know that your work is appreciated! 

Edward

Edward A. Serna

President