Winthrop selects Kent State’s Mahony as next president

Winthrop University’s next president – Dan Mahony, a professor and dean with more than 20 years of higher education experience – will arrive on campus this summer with faculty support and board confidence in his leadership, officials said Friday.

The school’s Board of Trustees unanimously selected Mahony on Friday afternoon after a brief private discussion and a public vote. He accepted the job by phone shortly after 2 p.m.

He took the call from trustees right after teaching a class at Kent State University on the history and current issues in collegiate athletics. He and his family, Mahony said, are “thrilled” for the opportunity. Winthrop is a student-centered institution, and he’s honored to soon serve as its president, he said.

The selection of Winthrop’s 11th president came after a nearly six-month search, several rounds of in-person interviews, and campus visits by three finalists. Mahony’s name rose to the top this week as trustees found “a president who would care deeply about this institution, its people, values, traditions (and) history,” said Karl Folkens, vice-chair of the Winthrop board.

Mahony “is capable of the kind of visionary leadership we have been searching for” and he is “the best fit for Winthrop,” Folkens said.

Soon, the school will move toward finalizing a contract and recommending a salary for Mahony. Historically, trustees have asked state officials for the highest-possible salary for the school’s president and Winthrop’s non-profit foundation has provided additional money.

Based on trustees’ remarks Friday, several elements of Mahony’s background pushed him ahead of other candidates for the job, including: his past accounting work, his personality, his experience at public colleges similar to Winthrop, and his expertise in higher education management principles.

Winthrop’s elected faculty representative, English professor John Bird, said Mahony can expect strong support. Bird is the main faculty liaison to Winthrop’s top decision-makers – the trustees – and he co-led the school’s presidential search group this year.

The majority of professors, staff members, and other employees on campus voiced to him “overwhelming” favor for Mahony as the presidential pick, Bird said.

At the start of this week, Mahony was one of three finalists whom trustees were considering. One finalist, Alan Shao, dean of the College of Charleston School of Business, dropped out mid-week, saying he wanted to focus on another job opportunity. Jeff Elwell, dean at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was also in the running.

Shao told The Herald earlier this week that he was in the process of negotiating an employment contract with Winthrop before he withdrew his name. Winthrop board Chairwoman Kathy Bigham says she had been in talks with Mahony since early this week and that she had been empowered by fellow trustees to continue discussions with more than one finalist before a decision was made.

Mahony appears to have been the faculty’s favorite since his campus visit late last month. Professors seemed pleased, Bird said, with Mahony’s “calm steadiness” and action-oriented approach toward decision marking. Winthrop’s professors also like that Mahony has served in a range of campus positions, including holding faculty leadership roles at other schools.

Trustees were happy with Mahony’s proven collaborative leadership style, Bigham said. “Truly, we were looking for a team-building approach in our new leader,” she said, adding that Mahony’s values align with the university and its peoples’ values.

Choosing a president is one of the most important duties of a university board, Bigham said. Mahony will “inspire confidence across disciplines and will earn trust and respect (on campus) and beyond.”

Winthrop trustees scheduled time Friday afternoon for the public to comment about the selection, but no one signed up to speak. The university’s top administrators, several professors and staff members attended the board meeting. Many clapped after trustees picked Mahony.

Boyd to serve until Mahony’s start

By July 1, Mahony will move with his wife and two children to Rock Hill from northeastern Ohio, where he’s worked at Kent State since 2008. Before that, he served at the University of Louisville for 13 years in various roles.

Late last month on a visit to Winthrop, Mahony billed himself as a collaborative, transparent, and strategic leader. He told the campus, “I see a really bright future for Winthrop.”

Trustees chose him from a pool of more than 80 applicants looking to replace fired President Jamie Comstock Williamson. Before that, retired President Anthony DiGiorgio served for 24 years. DiGiorgio remains active with the university.

Trustees parted ways with Williamson last summer amid several allegations of ethical breaches. Williamson denied the allegations and threatened to sue.

Winthrop’s chief academic officer, Provost Debra Boyd, has served as acting president during the past nine months. Boyd, a 30-year Winthrop veteran, said last summer she was not interested in applying for the job permanently.

On Friday, Boyd said she’s confident Mahony will be a good fit at Winthrop.

During the meeting, Boyd received thanks from Winthrop trustees. Employees who filled the board room gave Boyd a standing ovation for her service. She’ll continue to hold the president title until Mahony’s official start.

In their recruitment for a new president, trustees listed several top priorities for the school, including growing the student body gradually by 1,000 students; revamping the university’s marketing and private fundraising strategies; and repairing low morale among employees who haven’t seen significant pay raises in years.

Board members said they prioritized listening to what campus constituencies said about each presidential finalist after recent visits. Bird, the faculty representative, says the community felt well-represented and included in the process. The board’s inclusion of a wide-range of opinions and its willingness to listen instills confidence in the decision, he said.

Mahony was also recently in the running for another presidency and a provost position at other schools. He’s been hoping for a positive outcome for the Winthrop job, he said, because it’s been the most appealing to him all along.

He anticipates negotiating his employment contract soon with trustees and visiting Rock Hill before moving in to the President’s House at Winthrop, Mahony said.

Mahony says he’s leaving Kent State’s college of education, health and human services in good shape, and he’s thankful for the support of his colleagues there. Kent State recently hired a new president, and Mahony said he’ll turn to her for advice on making an effective transition to a new university.

For past coverage of the Winthrop search, visit The Herald’s special Winthrop presidential decision website.

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Winthrop selects Kent State’s Mahony as next president."