Ceremony officially makes Serna president of Winthrop. He talked about what’s ahead.

Dr. Edward A. Serna is officially the president of Winthrop University.

Serna was installed during an 11 a.m. ceremony Friday at Winthrop Coliseum as the university’s 12th president. He had assumed his duties back on July 1, 2022.

Serna is no stranger to the university. He was a 30-year-old student there more than two decades ago who earned his bachelors degree. And even Friday he talked some about programs for nontraditional students.

“When you have experienced a university as a student, it’s just deeper and richer,” he said. “I’ll walk around campus, or I’ll walk through the academic building, and I’ll have a flashback or a memory to it. I love this place.

“I know what its values are. I know what the culture is here. And I love just being able to come back and advance that and be a part of that.”

The inauguration ceremony featured speakers who fondly recalled personal stories about Serna at various parts of his life and career.

Those memories detailed his commitment to the school, his work and the local community.

He most recently served three years as president of the University of Maine at Farmington. But his career has taken him to multiple schools across multiple states.

Still, being able to return where it all started was an opportunity Serna couldn’t pass up.

“It’s just humbling,” Serna said. “I think when you’re genuinely just interacting with people, you don’t think about the impact you’re having. You’re just being yourself. And for me, that’s what this has always been about. It’s just being yourself. So yeah, it’s a lot to process, and I have to think about all of that. It’s why we do what we do. We love changing lives.”

Winthrop’s new president is relishing in the moment for now.

However, he said he loves the new initiatives the school are rolling out and is ready to continue that progress.

“We’re doing a lot of work about how can we offer educational opportunities for working adults,” Serna said.

“Is it competency-based education? What is that so we can increase access. I’m really excited about what’s going on in club sports and esports. I think those are amazing initiatives.

“I know in the next month, we’ll be starting to look at new academic programs. I’m excited for the future and about what new things Winthrop can do that are true to who we are as an institution but also maybe stretch those boundaries a little bit for us.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 3:45 PM.