Current president of the University of Maine at Farmington, Edward A. Serna, will serve as the 12th president of Winthrop University by the unanimous vote of the university’s board of trustees.
The Board of Trustees gathered in the Evans Room of the DiGor-
gio Campus center on Feb. 18 to vote in the 12th president. Several members of the Board attended in person, including Board Chair Glenn Mccall, Vice Chair Kathy Bigham, and Seat 13 Jane LaRo- che. Serna attended the event virtually through Zoom alongside his family and accepted the Board’s nomination.
“It is my honor as a proud Winthrop alum- ni to accept your amaz- ing offer,” Serna said to the Board.
Serna and his family will officially join the Winthrop community on July 1st and reside in the President’s House on the Winthrop campus. Serna is currently serving out the end of his term as15th president of the University of Maine at Farmington, where he has “led the institution through a comprehensive, year-long strategic planning exercise that focused on addressing the significant internal and external challenges driving an erosion in enrollment,” according to his letter of interest and curriculum vitae.
Prior to serving as president of the University of Maine at Farmington, Serna worked in the private sector as a management consultant and served as Interim Chancellor of the University of Arkansas. Serna also has experience teaching management consulting and computer science courses.
After graduating and receiving a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Winthrop, Serna went on to receive a master’s in management information systems from Auburn University, as well as a Master of Science in industrial management from Clemson University.
He then received a doctorate of education in higher education from the University of Alabama.
Current Interim President of Winthrop University George W. Hynd, who was appointed to the position by the Board of Trustees on January 31, 2020, said that he and his family are looking forward to welcoming him in person, accord- ing to news and media services manager Judy Longshaw.
“We are looking very forward to welcoming our new President and First Lady to campus as we know they will fall in love with Winthrop just as we have,” Hynd said. “I am very excited for the Winthrop community as I am sure that Dr. Serna will bring the energy and vision to take the university in new and exciting directions.”
Council of Student Leaders Chair Erin Emiroglu said that she worked with the Presidential Search Committee in bringing student input to the Board of Trustees and called the decision “truly representative of what students wanted.”
“He was a favorite across the board, so I’m very excited for him to get here and be able to work with students like he said he wanted to,” Emiroglu said.
