Winthrop University, often referred to as Winthrop or WU and formerly known as Winthrop College, is a public, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools, received a $1,500 grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a Boston philanthropist and chair of the Peabody Education Board. The school originally opened in Columbia to educate young women to teach in the public schools.Winthrop offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through five colleges and schools and has enrollment of about 6,000 students. The 100acre main academic and residential campus is located 25mi southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina and 71mi north of Columbia, South Carolina in Rock Hill.Fielding athletic teams known as Winthrop Eagles, the university participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of Big South Conference. The athletic program is known for its success in basketball and soccer. The majority of Winthrop's students are from South Carolina, with out-of-state and foreign students accounting for 11% of undergraduate enrollment. The university offers a number of extracurricular activities to its students, including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations, as well as fraternities and sororities. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government, business, science, medicine, education, sports and entertainment.
