Winthrop University has been an educational leader in South Carolina for more than a century. In 1886, David Bancroft Johnson, a dedicated and gifted superintendent of schools, successfully petitioned Boston philanthropist Robert C. Winthrop and the Peabody Fund for seed money to form a school whose mission would be the education of women as teachers. As the �Winthrop Training School,� Johnson�s fledgling institution opened its doors to 21 students in Columbia, S.C., using a borrowed, one-room building. Because of its important role, Winthrop soon received state assistance and moved to its permanent Rock Hill home in 1895.

Winthrop University provides personalized and challenging undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education programs of national caliber within a context dedicated to public service to the nation and to the State of South Carolina. Winthrop's longtime commitment to be among the very best institutions of its kind in the nation continually guides the mission of the university.

Cathy Smith Bowers (BA, 1972; MA, 1976), poet and professor; North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2010�2012 Anne King Gregorie (1902), historian and first woman to be granted a doctorate in History by the University of South Carolina Chip Huggins, (1987), member of South Carolina House of Representatives Dr. Mary Gaulden Jagger, (1942), one of the founding members of the National Organization for Women. Linda H. Short, (1984), former South Carolina State Senator Bob Crawford, (2003), bassist for the folk/rock band The Avett Brothers Andie MacDowell, Golden Globe nominated actress, attended Winthrop from 1976-78

Urban 425 acres (172.0 ha)