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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. DEBRA BOYD FOR HER OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO WINTHROP UNIVERSITY AND TO EXPRESS PROFOUND APPRECIATION FOR HER EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP DURING DIFFICULT DAYS FOR ONE OF THE STATE'S MOST DISTINGUISHED INSTITUTIONS.
Whereas, as one of the Winthrop University's longest-serving employees, Debra Boyd has led the school's transition team since the trustees dismissed the university's tenth president; and
Whereas, when new President Dan Mahony leaves Kent State University in northeastern Ohio to take his place at Winthrop on July 1, 2015, Debra Boyd, the school's chief academic administrator and interim president, will help him to make the transition, scheduling introductory meetings for him with government officials, key donors, alumni and community leaders, and other friends of the university; and
Whereas, recognized as a selfless servant-leader, Dr. Boyd assumed all the daily responsibilities of the university's top administrator but never moved into the president's office across the hall from her own office of the provost in Tillman Hall. She retained her provost salary and took on the extra presidential duties without a pay raise; and
Whereas, she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Appalachian State University and a doctorate in English from the University of South Carolina, specializing in the Renaissance literature of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe; and
Whereas, as an English professor, Dr. Boyd taught freshman composition, technical writing, and literature and rose through the university ranks for thirty years, becoming a dean and then provost. In June 2014, she stepped into the role of acting president; and
Whereas, although reluctant to assume the president's job, Dr. Boyd accepted until an eleventh president could be found. She succeeded in setting the tone for Winthrop's current academic year and in continuing its high calling to educate students without focusing on the presidential controversy or anxiety over the school's future; and
Whereas, she made strides with a campus-wide salary-study group seeking to increase employee pay while maintaining enrollment growth and fundraising, and she announced a ten percent budget freeze and major review of Winthrop's spending in order to allocate funds for major initiatives, such as new marketing strategies; and
Whereas, Dr. Boyd rallied campus supporters, dubbed "Team Winthrop," and pledged that business critical to the state's fifth-largest public university's mission would not be neglected; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are deeply grateful for Dr. Boyd's love for Winthrop University and her humble leadership with unwavering dedication, fairness, honesty, intelligence, and conscientious commitment to do the right thing. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor Dr. Debra Boyd for her outstanding contributions to Winthrop University and express profound appreciation for her exceptional leadership during difficult days for one of the state's most distinguished institutions.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Dr. Debra Boyd.
This web page was last updated on March 18, 2015 at 1:32 PM