A closer look at outgoing Winthrop President Dan Mahony’s impact over five years
Winthrop University looks different than it did nearly five years ago when President Dan Mahony arrived.
Mahony, who is leaving Winthrop, was faced with increasing diversity among faculty and staff, improving the university’s financial position and attracting new students.
Mahony said meeting those goals is what he is most proud of as he leaves Winthrop. He has accepted the presidential role of the Southern Illinois University System, which serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses throughout the state. He starts his new role on March 1, 2020.
Mahony sat down with The Herald recently to talk about his time as Winthrop’s 11th president.
Improving finances
Mahony spent his first year as president listening to faculty, staff and students before forming the Winthrop Plan, the university’s strategic plan through 2025. Mahony said his goal was to continue with what Winthrop was doing well while improving on areas such as the university’s financial position.
Mahony said it is “critical” for universities to be prepared for economic downturns.
“I didn’t think we were well positioned if something did go bad,” Mahony said. “I think we are are in a much better position (now) to weather any storm that comes.”
Under Mahony, Winthrop has seen an increase in monetary gifts to the institution that are not limited to a specific use. The university’s unrestricted gift revenue increased from $270,147 in fall of 2018 to $714,437 in fall of 2019, surpassing the 2025 goal, according to data shared in the Winthrop Plan.
Part of that increase is due to the creation of the Winthrop Leadership Society in 2018, Mahony said. Leadership Society members commit to a donation of at least $1,000 a year for a minimum of five years.
More than 120 people have joined the Leadership Society, Mahony said, including himself.
“It gives us flexibility to do what we need to do both to manage our foundation and provide additional scholarships for our students,” he said.
Winthrop has also made an effort to pay down debt, said Justin Oates, vice president for finance and business affairs.
As a result, Winthrop’s debt ratio, or how much debt the institution has as compared to its assets, decreased from 45% in fall 2018 to 41% in fall 2019, according to Winthrop Plan data. A lower debt ratio is a signal an institution is financially stable.
Winthrop leaders have also been committed to increasing the amount of money the university has on hand for investing in the campus and covering unforeseen expenses, Oates said.
Winthrop’s net position, essentially a savings account, increased from $10.6 million in 2013 to $22.5 million in 2019.
“We are in the best financial position I think we’ve been in as an institution,” Mahony said.
Winthrop was recently able to devote $2 million to facility upgrades, Mahony said.
“I always try to make sure I leave (the institution) in a better financial place than when I started,” he said.
Increasing enrollment
Winthrop currently has about 5,864 students. The goal is 7,000 students enrolled by fall of 2025, according to the Winthrop Plan.
Earlier this year, Winthrop received a record number of freshman applicants. Enrollment for the freshman class has increased about 8% from last year, Mahony said.
Winthrop has seen an increase of about 16% in students enrolled in graduate programs, Mahony said. Part of that growth is due to the university adding online graduate courses.
Winthrop isn’t alone in the challenge of attracting students to higher education institutions, Mahony said. Increasing enrollment is a challenge Mahony will also be addressing at Southern Illinois.
“It is by no means uniquely our problem. For most institutions right now, hitting enrollment targets is hard,” he said. “It’s going to get even more challenging in 2025 because there is a drop off in students coming out of high school.”
Mahony said the key is to have online programs and courses targeted toward older adults as well as incoming 18-year-old freshmen.
“I think if you balance that, the institutions can weather the storm that is coming, but it’s going to be a challenge for everybody,” he said. “It’s the reality of higher education today.”
Diverse faculty, staff
Mahony has made increasing diversity among faculty and staff a priority from the start.
“Our faculty and staff didn’t look like our student body did,” he said. “We’ve changed that pretty dramatically, particularly in leadership positions.”
In 2019, Winthrop had 21%, up from 18% in 2018, of faculty and managerial staff who self-identify as African-American, Latin American, Native American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Asian, two or more races or international, The Herald previously reported.
In July, the Winthrop Alumni Association welcomed its first African-American president, according to the university.
Mahony said Winthrop has for years had a diverse student body. The university saw a slight increase in the percent of diverse students from 2018 to 2019.
Leaving Winthrop
“Leaving is a particularly hard thing for me both professionally and personally,” Mahony said. “I will miss the faculty, staff and students here quite a bit and the community members we’ve gotten to know.”
“I don’t know if I was necessarily completely done but sometimes things turn out the way they turn out,” he said.
Mahony’s daughter Elena attends Northwestern High School.
“I am going to miss her senior year which is kind of heartbreaking,” Mahony said.
Mahony said he was attracted to the opportunities the Southern Illinois University System offered. Mahony will be tackling enrollment and finances for an education system that touches much of the state.
“The institution has the opportunity to have an impact not just on students who attend there but really the citizens of that region. So that’s the particular appealing part of it,” he said.
Mahony said Winthrop is in a good place for a successful future.
“I have deep respect for the faculty and staff,” he said. “Their dedication and willingness to go above and beyond their responsibilities has been really impressive. I’ve seen that in parts of universities before; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that as part of the culture of the whole institution.”
