Did You Know?

Read about members of the Winthrop community who have made an impact on this university, as well as the region, nation and world. Also, view comments by some of the distinguished guests who visited campus and left with lasting impressions. Click here to view the 2008-09 Annual Report.

• Largest grant in school history. The Richard W. Riley College of Education recently was awarded first-year funding of $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help struggling schools and rework its curriculum for teacher majors. Ultimately, the grant will be a $13 million five-year program expected to bring more than $7 million in federal funds to Winthrop. The federal dollars will support collaborative work Winthrop will undertake with five South Carolina school districts in Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster and Union counties, as well as other partners, including the statewide Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement, which is headquartered at Winthrop. Click for more information.

• Don’t wait to read this. Lisa Zarick ’08 and Bob Stonebraker, associate professor of economics, expanded Zarick’s honor thesis on “I’ll Do it Tomorrow: The Logic of Procrastination,” which has been accepted for publication by College Teaching. Zarick found that just about everyone procrastinates, which leads to lower grades and late or missing assignments. Students with low GPAs report the most difficulties, but report fewer problems with courses they enjoy, major courses and in group work. Zarick suggests faculty members may want to remember that when setting deadlines. Read the thesis here.

• Dance has gone digital with Flip digital video technology. Winthrop dance faculty members assisted New York choreographer Amy Marshall with her efforts to create a brand-new piece for the upcoming Winthrop Dance Theatre Nov. 11-15. During Marshall's week-long residency, she and faculty used Flip video technology – an increasingly popular way to store choreography – to shoot, edit, upload and share digital videos of rehearsals with dancers. The new technology allows dancers and choreographers alike to practice and study choreography without extensive written notation. Marshall’s piece will debut during the Winthrop Dance Theatre run Nov. 11-14 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. in Johnson Theatre. For more information about performances, call the Box Office at 803/323-4014 or e-mail boxoffice@winthrop.edu.

• Winthrop Galleries selected for People’s Choice Award for Best Gallery. Herald readers cast ballots to pick the Winthrop Galleries as the region’s best art showcase. Look for the cover of the special section this week which shows artwork by Professor Paul Martyka, who is the fourth recipient of the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Faculty Grant and works on hand-painted, cut paper collages.

• Proud honor for science teacher. Former biology/secondary education student Linda Hellstein ‘08 of Ridge View High School was chosen as a National Science Teacher Association New Science Teacher Fellow. She is one of only two South Carolina public school teachers selected of 185 teachers nationwide. Read more here.

• Senior runner featured in Big South spotlight. Lisa Sickman is highlighted this month in a new Big South Conference student-athlete feature called the "Musco Women's Spotlight" in conjunction with the league's newest collegiate partner Musco Sports Lighting.