Dear Alumni and Friends,
As I write to you, I am finishing my third week on the job as president of your alma mater. Busy as the days have been, I can say with certainty that this time has been some of the most personally and professionally joyous in my life.
Dr. Edward Serna, President of the University of Maine at Farmington.
My early weeks have been filled with opportunities to meet with and learn from highly dedicated faculty and staff, as well as members of the community who treasure all the University does in service to the people of western Maine. As I meet with other leaders in higher education across the state — all of whom are eager to develop strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships with UMF — I hear a constant refrain: Farmington is a jewel within the University of Maine System and has a deserved reputation for academic excellence.
Whenever my wife, Lauren, and I have walked into town to visit the Farmington Farmers’ Market, do a little shopping at Reny’s, or get lunch at The Homestead, we meet people who tell us of the intense pride they take in the University’s success and the hopes they have for its future. In three short weeks, we have come to appreciate one of the benefits of living in this quintessential Maine college town: running into civic-minded people who have welcomed us into their homes and to gatherings of their friends.
After experiencing such warmth, Lauren and I are eager to have our two girls join the community as well. Caroline and Anna Kate are now with their grandparents in Alabama, while Lauren and I get settled and ready the house for their arrival in a couple weeks. Lauren has registered them for the wonderful array of programs at UMF’s Fitness and Recreation Center and enrolled them in local schools, where, we are told, many UMF students complete their practicum and student teaching experiences under the guidance of skilled educators who are alumni. We look forward to having Caroline attend Mallett School and the after-school program at Sweatt-Winter, and we know Anna Kate is ready to meet her classmates and make friends at Cascade Brook School.
But before school starts, our daughters are keen on participating in what we have also been told is a fun summertime tradition in Farmington: gliding down the Sandy River on a float tube. When Lauren and I sent them a photo of the Sandy taken during a sunset walk and explained how people like to make their way down this beautiful river, our girls made us promise to purchase two tubes. We happily complied.
On that walk, as the sun dipped below the mountains to the west of Leib Field, Lauren and I knew we had made the right decision. Farmington is where we belong.
It’s also where you, as alumni and friends, always belong. If you are coming to campus or just passing through Farmington en route to Carrabassett Valley or Rangeley, please feel welcome to stop by Merrill Hall. I would enjoy meeting you and hearing what you love about UMF and the directions in which you think the University should be heading as we chart its future. As I told members of the community on the day back in late May when my appointment was announced, I want to talk about the great ideas you have, but also the concerns you have. I think that is the path to doing something special here, together.
For now, I wish you all the best and I thank you for staying engaged with the University of Maine at Farmington.
Edward Serna
President
Dr. Edward Serna began serving the University as its 15th president on July 1. He came to UMF from the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (UAFS), where he served as interim chancellor. His work at UAFS, a public, four-year university with an enrollment of 6,600 students and an annual budget of $80 million, has included leading initiatives focused on student success, student retention, and data-driven innovation. He received a doctorate of education in higher education from the University of Alabama, a master’s in management information systems from Auburn University, a master of science in industrial management from Clemson University, and a bachelor of science in business administration from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. After working as a senior business analyst and strategic management consultant in the private sector, Dr. Serna entered higher education as an assistant professor of management in Athens State University’s College of Business. Prior to serving as interim chancellor at UAFS, he was chief of staff and associate vice chancellor for external funding and chief of staff and vice chancellor for strategic initiatives.