Wellington resident William M.B. Fleming Jr. was formally installed as the eighth president of Palm Beach Atlantic University on Oct. 21 in a ceremony that focused on the university’s future and the spiritual nature of its mission.
Fleming “is a man of deep faith who strives each day to live his life as an obedient servant of Christ,” Scott Hawkins, vice president of the Palm Beach Atlantic board of trustees, told some 350 gathered in the DeSantis Family Chapel. “His motives are pure and his words are measured as he provides leadership and vision.”
With his wife Pam at his side, Fleming took the formal oath of office in regalia with his hand on a family Bible as his mother, one son and several siblings looked on. Moments later he told a mix of faculty, staff, benefactors and friends, “Unless the Lord builds a university, the workers labor in vain. But miracles and wonders continue at Palm Beach Atlantic because the Lord has built this place.”
During his remarks, Fleming put particular emphasis on the workship program — a concept created at Palm Beach Atlantic that requires students perform 45 hours of community service per academic year. Since its inception, students have performed some 2.5 million hours of workship service.
Fleming announced that he and his wife have donated $50,000 to the university to create an endowment to support and enhance the workship program.
Fleming was elected by the university’s board of trustees on May 7, after serving for 14 months as interim president. Prior to that, he served as vice president for development, arriving at university in 1992.
Above: Palm Beach Atlantic University President William Fleming is sworn in by Board of Trustees Vice Chair Scott G. Hawkins, Esq, while Fleming’s wife Pam looks on.
