Winthrop’s new president moves in, takes office next week

One week away from starting his first college presidency, Dan Mahony and his family moved into their Winthrop University campus home on Tuesday morning.

The moving truck arrived early Tuesday but the Mahony family made their way from Ohio to Rock Hill a few days ago – just in time for their two children to start local summer sport camps.

Mahony, Winthrop’s 11th president, was chosen in March by school trustees. His official start date is July 1. Until then, Winthrop Provost Debra Boyd will continue to serve as the school’s acting president.

Winthrop’s president-elect and acting president have talked a lot over recent months. The transition period, Mahony said, has mostly involved him learning and listening, with Boyd leading Winthrop day to day.

As acting president, Boyd “has just done a fabulous job,” Mahony said. “The ‘acting’ role is, I think, one of the most difficult roles you can have. I’ve never seen anybody do it as well as she has.”

Next month, Mahony says he plans to unveil his strategies for leading the university over the first three months and into his first year as president. Until he takes office in Tillman Hall, he said, he and his wife Laura are focused on making sure their family has a smooth transition to South Carolina.

Recently, Mahony was honored by the American Association of University Administrators with a leadership award. The winner of the new McInnis/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership is selected by a group of college administration professionals.

On Tuesday, Mahony said he was surprised by the honor but felt grateful for the recognition from his peers.

Mahony comes to Winthrop from Kent State University in Ohio where he’s served since 2008 as dean of the school’s college of education, health and human services. He has a background in accounting, sport management, and research in higher education management/administration.

In total, he has more than 20 years of experience working at colleges and universities, including a 13-year stint at the University of Louisville.

Mahony competed for the Winthrop job earlier this year with two other deans from public colleges: Alan Shao of the College of Charleston and Jeff Elwell of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Winthrop trustees spent more than six months looking for a replacement for 10th President Jamie Comstock Williamson, who was fired last summer.

The three finalists – Mahony, Elwell, and Shao – were selected for multi-day on-campus interviews from a pool of more than 80 applicants.

Dan and Laura Mahony and their children Gavin, age 15, and Elena, age 12, will live in Winthrop’s historic President House, located on campus near Oakland Avenue. Gavin will attend Northwestern High School and Elena will attend Rawlinson Road Middle School.

Check back for more details from the presidential move-in day at Winthrop.