David A. DeCenzo was inaugurated as the second president of Coastal Carolina University on Sept. 14, 2007. In his inaugural speech, DeCenzo pledged the university to a high standard and ambitious goals. In his address, titled "Beginning of a New Tomorrow," he articulated his credo, a student-centered philosophy that stresses the three main principles of his administration: tradition, excellence and integrity. "Let us celebrate…our destiny to build Coastal Carolina University through wise resource management, faculty enrichment and student engagement that reach past this campus, across state lines and beyond our national shores," he said to an audience of more than 800 people, including many delegates from other universities. "These three words—tradition, integrity and excellence—will guide the new Coastal Carolina to be a place rooted in confidence, unified in commitment, exemplary in transparency, and bold in vision."