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There is a lot of excitement in the air on the campus of Alabama A&M University. 

After reading headlines on record enrollment, seeing pictures of $20 million in scholarships awarded to future Bulldogs during this year's bus tour and hearing reports of a possible expansion, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é Morning Anchor Demetria Green wanted to see what all the buzz was about.

"I never expected us to grow our enrollment at this rate so fast," said Alabama A&M University President Dr. Daniel Wims.

Dr. Wims gave Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é an up close and personal look into his administration'sthe university's vision and goals for the next few years. As the 12th university president, he said he enjoys the position, but joked there aren't many perks. 

"It feels wonderful,� said Wims. “It's better than I expected in terms of outcome. It's a lot less fun than I expected. I wanted to be president thinking it was some glorious position with a lot of fun and a lot of perks. But, it's about work, focus and grind and outcomes. The joy comes from accomplishments."

Those tenets, along with accountability and compliance, serve as the mantra for his administration.

And it was instilled in him at a young age.

Wims grew up in southwest Georgia, right on the Chattahoochee River.

"We had farms on both sides of the river," said Wims.

He spent most of his time as a kid on college campuses like Tuskegee University and Fort Valley State playing sports and working with the Future Farmers of America.

"I won a lot of state contests, and got a lot of recognition. It was part of my development,� said Wims.

He aspired to become a public intellectual like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy and C.T. Vivian, to name a few.

However, fate and his father had other plans in academia as his dad was the first Black superintendent of Stewart County.

“My dad was an autocrat. There was no democracy. Even if you weren't in his house, you were in house. I wouldn't have to ask at all, he would just tell you what you need to do,� said Wims.

Wims would go on to earn a bachelor's degree at Fort Valley State, a master’s at the Ohio State University and his doctorate at the University of Maryland, College Park.

He would then start a successful career in higher education.

Eventually, he set his sights on Huntsville where he served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at A&M for 12 years.

"In those 12 years, I was able to learn the fabric and fiber of the institution,� said Wims. “Knowing the institution so well, I know what needs to be done."

Two years into his presidency, he continues to push for government leaders and corporate donors to make the university a priority.

"It requires resources for us to do this miracle work…The first question [these donors want to know] is what are your alums doing?� said Wims.

That's where what he calls “friend-raising� comes into play. It's a push to get alumni to give back to the university.

"We have 32,000 alums and only 1,000 to 1,200 are consistent givers. That's not 10%, that's not half,� said Wims.

And he takes responsibility.

"Maybe we haven't done as well as we should have done in the past to maintain contact, maintain engagement,� explained Wims. “We are doing a lot better. That's why we want a great Homecoming, so they can come and have a great experience and they say, ‘This is my place, and I want to invest in it.’�

The goal is to collect donations from 8 percent of alumni.

Make sure you join Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é Morning Anchor Demetria Green Thursday night at 10 p.m. for his response to the recent campus shootings and future projects in store.