| Winthrop University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Veritas cum libertate |
| Motto in English | Truth with liberty |
| Established | 1886 |
| Type | Public |
| President | Anthony J. DiGiorgio |
| Academic staff | 288 |
| Undergraduates | 5097[1] |
| Postgraduates | 1144[1] |
| Location | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States |
| Colors | Garnet and Gold |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | www.winthrop.edu |
Winthrop University (formerly Winthrop College) is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students.[1] The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.[2] Winthrop has been rated by the Commission as "substantially exceeding standards" every year since that classification was created in 2003.
The University was also named by the John Templeton Foundation as a University that "encourages character development".[3] In addition, Winthrop has received numerous Top-10 Regional Public University (South) rankings by U.S. News & World Report and has been rated among the Princeton Review's "Best Southeastern Colleges."[4]
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The University's campus is located in the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina, in one of that city's five historic districts and many of Winthrop's buildings are on the National Historic Register.[5]. The Winthrop University campus also has its own zip code of 29733.
Winthrop's campus is divided into two distinct areas: The main campus which houses the academic buildings, dormitories, library and student center and the larger Recreational and Research Complex located approximately one mile northeast of the main campus.
Winthrop's main campus has seen extensive development during the last decade. A new $12 million Dalton Hall opened in 1999.[6] The Courtyard at Winthrop, which features apartment style residences for students, opened in 2003.[7] The Lois Rhame West Health, Physical Education and Wellness Center, which was opened in 2007 and serves as the new home of the University's physical education department and intramural sports.[8] The most recent addition, in 2010, is the DiGiorgio Campus Center, which added a 128,000-square-foot (11,900 m2) multipurpose campus hub featuring a 225 seat movie theater, food court, campus bookstore, post office, and casual dining. The DiGiorgio Center is connected to the West Center via an open-air plaza.
In addition to hosting the University's intercollegiate athletic facilities, the Recreational and Research Complex also hosts the Piedmont Wetlands Research Project, a golf course (open to faculty, students and alumni), and a world-class disc golf course (which has been the site of the United States Disc Golf Championship since its inception in 1999[9]).
Winthrop's campus has served as the location for numerous movies, television and other video productions, including the films Asylum and The Rage: Carrie 2. Additionally, the Winthrop Coliseum hosted numerous television tapings of various syndicated WCW and NWA television shows in the 1980s and 1990s.
Ninety (90%) percent of freshman and Forty-four (44%) percent of all undergraduate students live on-campus.[10]
The University grants undergraduate degrees through four colleges: The College of Arts & Sciences, The College of Business Administration, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and The College of Visual and Performing Arts. In all the University offers 41 undergraduate and 24 graduate degrees.
According to the University, "(i)n addition to full institutional accreditation, the university has achieved 100 percent national accreditation in all eligible programs." Currently, the student-faculty ratio is 15:1.[11]
The University currently employs 279 full-time and 276 part-time faculty members; 62 of whom are classified as minorities and 322 of whom are women. Of the 555 faculty members, 290 have earned their terminal degree, 237 have a non-terminal Master's degree and 12 have a non-terminal Bachelor's degree.[12]
The University currently has 298 employees who earn $50,000 or more per year (and are thus publicly disclosed pursuant to the state's Freedom of Information Act).[13]
Winthrop's tuition for the 2011-12 academic year is $23,796 per year for out-of-state undergraduate students and $12,186 for in-state undergraduate students. Room and board is currently $6,994. Currently, 4,587 undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid.[14][15]
Winthrop has been ranked in numerous college rankings. In 2007, it was named one of the top ten regional public universities in the south.[16] It has routinely been ranked by US News, Consumer Reports, Barron's Best Buys and the Princeton Review as one of the best values in higher education. In 2006, it was ranked the 8th best Public University in the Southeast by US News and World Report.[17]
The University comprises 6,241 students.[1] Students come from 44 states and 45 countries.[18] As of 2003, the average age of an undergraduate student was 21.4 years, while the average age of a graduate student was 34.4 years.
Of the student population, 5,097 are undergraduate students while 1,144 are graduate students. The University has 1,935 male students and 4,306 female students. The University has 1,374 African-American students, 24 Native American students, 86 Asian students, 109 Hispanic students and 3,390 non-Hispanic white students. Sixty-seven(67%) of 2008 freshman returned in 2009]].[18]
The University's average class size is 17 to 26 students, with freshman classes averaging 23 students. All freshman and second-year students are required to live on campus, unless they live at home with their parents or legal guardians.[18] However it has recently been discovered that simply having a parent or guardian sign the lease for off campus housing will allow any student to live off campus even if the student in question is a freshman or second-year student.
Winthrop's DiGiorgio Student Union Program Board has been ranked the best Program Board in the nation three times for the quality and variety of programming, including both lecturers and entertainers. The trade publication Campus Activities Magazine has named the university as having the "Best Campus Program" in the nation three times: 1995, 2002 and 2004. Winthrop is the only university in the nation to be on the ballot every year since this award was inaugurated in 1995.[3]
In addition to completing the academic requirements of their chosen degree, full-time Winthrop undergraduates, in order to graduate, are required to attend three cultural events for every 20 semester hours.[19] The university maintains an extensive calendar of events that qualify as being "cultural events".[20]
Cultural events are typically on a wide variety of subjects, and have included in the past:
The university has over 150 student organizations. It has eight campus ministries, 14 club sports teams, 18 clubs associated with an academic department, 16 Greek organizations, 16 Honor Societies, 30 special interest clubs and groups, 17 professional groups, 12 non-ministry religious groups, eight university representatives, seven residence hall councils, and eight service groups]].[21]
In addition, the university hosts many events that are available free of charge or at a reduced rate for full-time students. Events typically include concerts, shows, comedy routines and other forms of student-oriented entertainment. One of these events is the annual Big Man on Campus Pagaent, an all-male beauty contest. This event is organized by Delta Zeta Sorority to raise money for their philanthropy, the speech and hearing impaired. Another winthrop tradition, the Kappa Sigma oyster roast, is a social event held annually welcoming all new freshman and transfer students as well as returning students to the start of each fall semester. This event is a campus favorite and attendance has been known to exceed 1200 students. student organizations, historically Greek, sponsor contestants.
The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and competes on the Division 1 level. Additionally, Winthrop University President Anthony DiGiorgio serves on the Board of Directors of the NCAA.[22]
Winthrop is a charter member of the Big South Conference.[23] Winthrop's teams are known as the Eagles and their colors are garnet and gold.[24]
The university sponsors 18 intercollegiate teams (8 Men's and 10 Women's) in the sports of baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track on the Men's side, and basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and volleyball on the Women's side.<]].[25]
The university has labeled itself, "The Campus of Champions", as its intercollegiate athletic teams have experienced success in recent years. Specifically, the University has won numerous Big South Conference championships in the following sports: Baseball (3 since 1995), Men's Basketball (9 since 1988), Men's Cross Country (2 since 2000), Men's Soccer (5 since 2002), Men's Tennis (4 since 1997), Women's Tennis (10 since 1994), Softball (3 since 1989) and Women's Volleyball (4 since 2002).[24]
At the heart of the University's athletic facilities is the Winthrop Coliseum. In addition to serving as the home venue of the Men's and Women's basketball and volleyball teams, the University's athletic department offices are located in the Coliseum. The arena features 6,100 permanent seats and hosts numerous non-University shows and events in addition to Winthrop athletic contests.[26] The Coliseum also served as the temporary practice site of the NFL's Carolina Panthers until completion of the team's facilities in Charlotte.[27]
The Winthrop baseball team plays at Winthrop Ballpark, a multi-million dollar 1,989-seat baseball stadium which opened in 2003. [28]
Opened in 2005, the university's track and field teams compete on the $2.8 million Irwin Belk Track Complex. The facility hosts numerous Division 1 meets.[29]
The university's soccer teams compete at the recently completed Eagle Field. The facility, considered by many to be one of the top intercollegiate facilities in the country, features 1,800 permanent seats, a press box, field house and a Daktronics LCD scoreboard. In addition, the playing field is a Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass with Eagle Blend and Sun Star.[30]
The softball team competes at the Winthrop Softball Complex which opened in 2001. The facility includes four fields, locker rooms and an indoor batting cage.[31]
The tennis teams compete at the Winthrop Tennis Complex which opened in 2003. The complex includes 12 lighted courts, seating for 300 and a club house with public restroom facilities, locker rooms and offices.[32]
Perhaps the University's most well-known athletic team is the Men's basketball team which has earned a berth in nine NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournaments since 1999. Additionally, they have won the Big South Conference Championship in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.[33]
On March 5, 2007 the Winthrop Eagles Men's Basketball team was ranked in the Top 25 of both major college basketball polls for the first time in school history.[34] The Eagles ranked #22 in the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 poll and #24 on the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll. Later that spring on March 16, 2007 the Winthrop Eagles defeated Notre Dame for the first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament win in school history.[35]
6 of the 8 Men's Basketball team's championships and national rankings came during Gregg Marshall's tenure as head coach. Marshall left Winthrop to become the head coach at Wichita State University. Marshall's assistant at Winthrop, Randy Peele, was named as Marshall's successor, and led the Eagles to their most recent Big South Championship in 2008 and subsequent 13 seed in the NCAA tournament[36]
On March 6, 2010, Winthrop defeated Coastal Carolina University by a score of 64-53 in the Big South Conference championship game, marking the 10th time Winthrop has won the Big South men's basketball tournament - a conference record. By winning the conference tournament, Winthrop secured an automatic bid into the opening round game of the NCAA tournament, their ninth appearance in that tournament and also a conference record. Winthrop also appeared in the first "opening round game" of the NCAA tournament in 2001 (formerly called the "play-in game") wherein two teams with automatic berths compete for one of the #16 seed positions. Only Florida A&M has also made more than one appearance in this game.
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