Friday, March 13, 2015
Gold Room, DiGiorgio Campus Center
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Members present: Kathy Bigham, Karl Folkens, Glenn McCall, Jane LaRoche, Susan Smith-Rex, Janet Smalley,
Tim Hopkins, Don Long, Tim Sease (via teleconference), Randy Imler, Donna Glenn Holley,
Scott Middleton, Ashlye Wilkerson, Julie Fowler, Scott Talley, Debra Boyd (ex officio)
Members absent: None
Representatives present: Ian Deas, Student Representative; John Bird, Faculty Representative
Representatives absent: None
Others present: Anna Douglas, The Herald; Adarrell Gadsden, The Johnsonian; Andrew Kiel, WRHI; Alison
Rauch, CN2; representatives of WSOC, WBTV, Fox Charlotte; members of Winthrop faculty
and staff;
The Board of Trustees held a special called meeting on Friday, March 13, 2015, in
the Gold Room of the DiGiorgio Campus Center on Winthrop University's campus.
Public Comment
There were no requests for public comment.
Call to Order
Chair Bigham called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m. She welcomed all present and
thanked the media for attending. She then thanked Dr. John Bird for his wisdom, guidance,
and leadership during the president search process, the Board of Trustees and Kimberly
Faust for the many hours of time they devoted to the search, Bill Funk for his assistance
in identifying candidates, and Debra Boyd and the senior administrators for keeping
the university on task during the search. Ms. Bigham also thanked the community and
business leaders, our local legislators, and the President Search Advisory Committee
for their additional assistance in interviewing candidates and providing feedback.
Ms. Bigham stated the willingness of all to engage in the search process truly made
a difference.
Executive Session
Don Long motioned to move into executive session for the purpose of personnel matters
related to the selection of the 11th president of Winthrop University with an announcement
that they would return to public session no earlier that 2 p.m. for an expected report
and action regarding the selection of the next president of Winthrop University. Ashlye
Wilkerson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Return to Public Session/Vote for the 11th president of Winthrop University
The Board resumed public session at 2:00 p.m. Karl Folkens moved, pursuant to South
Carolina Code of Laws, S 59-125-90, that the Board appoint Dr. Daniel F. Mahony, current
dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University,
to be the 11th president of Winthrop University, subject to finalizing acceptable
contract terms with Dr. Mahony, and further that the Board Chair be authorized to
execute an employment contract embodying those agreed upon contract terms. Sue Smith
Rex seconded the motion.
Kathy Bigham stated her support of Dr. Mahony was related to his accounting background
gives him a business-like management approach that is important to this Board in terms
of institutional accountability and effectiveness; his academic discipline emphasizes
team-building to fulfill organizational responsibilities; his research background
and administrative experience give him analytical abilities attuned to academic quality
and successful outcomes for our students; his personality and demeanor inspire confidence
across disciplines and will earn trust and respect on campus and beyond. Further,
Dr. Mahony's judgment and temperament match trustees' expectations of a Winthrop president
and Dr. Mahony's values align with the deep sense of shared purpose felt by those
of us who have chosen Winthrop as our campus and our cause. For all those reasons,
she stated that she believed Dr. Dan Mahony is the best choice to lead Winthrop into
the future.
Karl Folkens stated that today's vote marks the end of an unprecedented search. Each
time the Board met Dr. Mahony, they had a chance to learn more about him. Mr. Folkens
continued that Dr. Mahony is committed to increasing enrollment, raising campus morale,
fundraising, friend-raising, and to building strong town-gown relationships. He concluded
that Dr. Mahony is, by far, the best fit for Winthrop University.
John Bird indicated his job as faculty representative to the Board is to give input
on behalf of the faculty. In this case, he believes faculty to be uniformly impressed
and overwhelmingly supportive of the Board's choice of Dr. Mahony as our next president.
The faculty and staff feel very confident about the future under the direction of
Dr. Mahony.
Chair Bigham called for the vote. It was unanimous in favor of appointing Dr. Mahony
as the 11th president of Winthrop University.
At the conclusion of the vote, Dr. Mahony was called via teleconference. Chair Bigham
informed him of the vote and asked if he would accept the offer. He confirmed he would
accept the offer to be the 11th president of Winthrop University.
Adjournment
Donna Glenn Holley motioned to adjourn the meeting. Julie Fowler seconded the motion.
The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kimberly Faust, Secretary to the Board
