There is a new president at St. Augustine’s University in North Carolina. Nearly a year after Everett B. Ward filled the role of interim leader, he has been officially sworn is at the institution’s 11th president.

“The lifeblood of St. Augustine’s runs through my every vein,” said Ward, 56, a St. Aug’s alumnus. “I have a long affiliation here, having been born on the campus. My father attended St. Aug’s. We have been part of this institution for generations.”

St. Augustine's University former interim president Everett B. Ward, front, addresses staff, students and the press Friday, April 10, 2015 after Ward was named by a unanimous vote of the St. Augustine's Board of Trustees, background, as the 11th president of St. Augustine's. A press announcement was held in front of the Prezell R. Robinson Library on the St. Aug's campus.