Two Business Students Capture Top Academic Honors at Winthrop Commencement (12/22/25)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Seniors Avery Jolley and Matt Pittman were presented the President's Award for Academic Excellence during the Dec. 20 Commencement ceremony.

• The award is given to students who have the highest GPA of their graduating class.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University graduating seniors Avery Jolley and Matt Pittman were presented the President's Award for Academic Excellence during the Dec. 20 Commencement ceremony. The award is given to students who have the highest GPA of their graduating class.

Jolley and Pittman accepted the award on the Winthrop Coliseum stage from President Edward Serna '02. The two took different paths to earning their Winthrop degrees.

About Avery Jolley

A volleyball player, Jolley excelled on both the court and in the classroom. The Knoxville, Tennessee, resident put together a 2025 season that is one for the record books as she was named Big South Conference Player of the Year and Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She tied the program record with 30 kills in a single match in her final regular season game and crept into the top 10 in numerous Winthrop career marks. Her dominance was recognized all year with a sweep of preseason honors, Big South Preseason Player of the Year and Preseason All-Conference, plus spots on the Winthrop Invitational and Furman Invitational All-Tournament Teams, and four Big South Player of the Week awards, a feat which only two Eagles have done in a single season.

In the classroom, Jolley earned a degree in business administration with an emphasis in healthcare management. In addition to this season's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she was selected as the 2024-25 Big South Conference Co-Female Scholar of the Year.

A member of the Winthrop's Honors College, Jolley wrote her honors thesis, The Inter-Influence of Health Systems and Public Health, on how the relationship between state health systems and public health agencies influenced COVID-19 outcomes across five U.S. states. By comparing proactive versus reactive response strategies-specifically mask mandates, shutdowns, social distancing policies, and vaccination rates-her research demonstrates that states with more proactive measures experienced significantly lower hospitalization and mortality rates.

As the daughter of a medical malpractice attorney, Jolley learned to appreciate good healthcare management policy. She plans to attend law school and is awaiting responses.

About Matt Pittman

A native of Fernandina Beach, Florida, Pittman entered the U.S. Coast Guard in October 2002. He retired 20 years later in 2022, with the rank of Chief Boatswain's Mate (E-7).

Following retirement from active duty, Pittman and his family relocated from Memphis, Tennessee, to Lancaster, South Carolina. He and his wife, Kasey, have three daughters ages 18, 14 and 6. Once the family became established in South Carolina, Pittman set his sights on completing an undergraduate degree at Winthrop.

He enrolled as a freshman in the fall of 2023. Winthrop's Bachelor of Professional Studies program provided the flexibility and personal support that allowed Pittman to thrive as a non-traditional student, full-time worker and family man. His degree had an organizational operations concentration.

With no break between his military service and school, Pittman is looking forward to catching his breath for a short time while exploring his next steps. He may return to public service and is considering graduate school opportunities. Most importantly, his oldest daughter will be starting college in the fall, and he wants to make sure that he is there to support her and get her off to a great start.

For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or e-mail her at [email protected].