Winthrop trustees reviewing campus opinions of presidential finalists

Winthrop University trustees plan to review anonymous survey comments and other search materials on Sunday as they work to select the university’s next president.

The university spent several months narrowing a list of candidates to three finalists: Jeff Elwell of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Dan Mahony of Kent State University; and Alan Shao of the College of Charleston. All three are academic deans at public universities larger than Winthrop.

Campus visits by the three finalists wrapped up last week.

The Board of Trustees hopes to pick one of the finalists in the coming weeks. Sunday’s meeting will give board members an opportunity to discuss the finalists, said board chairwoman Kathy Bigham.

The meeting will be held in Columbia – a central location for Winthrop’s trustees who live in various parts of the state, Bigham said. The board will meet in private. Bigham said no vote is expected on Sunday.

The discussion will include the results of an online survey that Winthrop officials used to gather community and campus feedback on each finalist after their visits. Trustees also will review information provided from various groups – including employees and students – that interviewed the candidates.

No date has been set for a board vote to select Winthrop’s 11th president. Trustees are replacing Jamie Comstock Williamson who they fired last summer. Since then, Winthrop Provost Debra Boyd has served as acting president.

Visit The Herald’s presidential search website for past coverage and more information about the finalists.

This story was originally published March 7, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Winthrop trustees reviewing campus opinions of presidential finalists."