Associated Press
Posted: Sunday, March 2, 2014 1:14 p.m.


ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop University is sizing up the value of fielding a football team at the South Carolina school.

The Herald of Rock Hill reports that athletic director Tom Hickman shared an internal report with Winthrop's top leaders on Sunday. It says the public university of around 6,000 students would need major donations and millions of dollars in borrowing to start a football program. The report says a new team could boost the university's enrollment growth goal.

Hickman says a football team would need nearly $500,000 to start, between $1.7 million and $3.3 million a year to operate, and about $11 million for facilities.

University President Jayne Marie Comstock scheduled a campus meeting for later this month for students, employees, alumni and York County residents to weigh in on the idea.

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I don't see it happening. Winthrop has only been Co-ed since 1974, and males only make up around 1/3rd of it's enrollment.

(03-04-2014 04:46 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  I don't see it happening. Winthrop has only been Co-ed since 1974, and males only make up around 1/3rd of it's enrollment.

Maybe that's part of the plan to change the balance?

It is like CofC. In state law makers want to add football in order to make it a more legitimate third institution to South Carolina and Clemson. Local law makers are trying to merge CofC and MUSC to create a university.

Winthrop has been a teachers university for a century, and only within the last 30 years have they expanded into more than that.

Someone made a call to SoCon and CAA.

At least Winthrop has a home for its football program right away in the Big South. They still have plenty of options if they need to add sports on the women's side, including rowing, sand volleyball, bowling, field hockey, rifle, and fencing. Some schools with rowing programs carry as many as 77 athletes, effectively as many as an FCS football team counting the walk-ons. If the Eagles start Field Hockey, the Big South could take control of the NorPac (Winthrop, Liberty, Longwood, Radford, with affiliates App State, California, UC Davis, Pacific, and Stanford).

(03-04-2014 04:58 PM)sctvman Wrote:  It is like CofC. In state law makers want to add football in order to make it a more legitimate third institution to South Carolina and Clemson. Local law makers are trying to merge CofC and MUSC to create a university.

Maybe instead of creating more institutions that the state is going to underfund they should concentrate on funding the ones they have.


And CofC and MUSC should not merge. Both have vastly different missions and do a great job accomplishing them. No need to muddy the water when there is absolutely no need.

(03-04-2014 08:59 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 04:58 PM)sctvman Wrote:  It is like CofC. In state law makers want to add football in order to make it a more legitimate third institution to South Carolina and Clemson. Local law makers are trying to merge CofC and MUSC to create a university.

Maybe instead of creating more institutions that the state is going to underfund they should concentrate on funding the ones they have.


And CofC and MUSC should not merge. Both have vastly different missions and do a great job accomplishing them. No need to muddy the water when there is absolutely no need.

Why couldn't both Charleston and MUSC continue those missions while merged? Also, what new institutions are being created?

(03-04-2014 11:38 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 08:59 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 04:58 PM)sctvman Wrote:  It is like CofC. In state law makers want to add football in order to make it a more legitimate third institution to South Carolina and Clemson. Local law makers are trying to merge CofC and MUSC to create a university.

Maybe instead of creating more institutions that the state is going to underfund they should concentrate on funding the ones they have.


And CofC and MUSC should not merge. Both have vastly different missions and do a great job accomplishing them. No need to muddy the water when there is absolutely no need.

Why couldn't both Charleston and MUSC continue those missions while merged?

Because the whole idea is simply to make CofC a comprehensive research institution in an effort to drive economic development in the Charleston area. This will divert the dwindling state resources that MUSC gets already away from medical research, which it does very well, and put it towards creating a Charleston area engineering and computer school. Not to mention the fact that it would also draw dwindling state resources away from the other colleges and universities in SC.

The fact that he faculty of both CofC and MUSC are opposed to this speaks volumes.

http://www.southcarolinaradionetwork.com...st-merger/

http://facultysenate.cofc.edu/archives/2...204632.pdf

The only people really pushing for this are two representatives from the Charleston area. One, Rep. Stavrinakis, has done absolutely nothing since being elected to the House in 2007 and wants to be the next Mayor of Charleston when Joe Riley finally gives it up. He, or probably his political handlers, realized his complete inaction while in the House would be used against him so he brought up this on again/off again issue to get his name in the paper and give him something to show for all these years in the House doing nothing.

As far as Rep Jim Merrill, the only reason I figure he is involved is his company is probably consulting for someone who would benefit from the merger like he did for the Realtors Association while sponsoring legislation to help the realty business in SC.

Clemson would honestly be better off if it could go private, but the way the charter was set up in Thomas Green Clemson's will we can't. We only get 10% of our funding from the state, and with the arcane requirements the state puts on all state schools we would probably be better off without it altogether.

Quote:Also, what new institutions are being created?

That was poorly worded. They shouldn't expand any schools until they start funding the ones that they have.

My butler's name is Winthrop and he doesn't like sports. In fact, he finds them barbaric.

This is a little bit off topic.

I live in Texas and the only reason I know about Winthrop University is that they host the most important disc golf tournament each year, the United States Disc Golf Championship.

They have a beautiful, large campus.

Here is some video from last year's tournament:

2013 USDGC Final Round