One of Alabama State University’s most successful alumni, Greensboro Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins, is coming back to help lead his alma mater into the 21st-century.

Governor Bob Riley announced Monday that Wiggins is one of two nominees to the Alabama State University Board of Trustees. The 12-year term will be the first for Wiggins, who graduated from ASU with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1986.

“I’m honored. I’m beyond honored,” Wiggins said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m ecstatic to have this opportunity to give something back to the university that has played the biggest role in making me who I am today.”

In a public statement, Riley said that Wiggins “will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to the Alabama State University Board of Trustees…I am confident that [he] will work for the best interest of the university and serve with honesty and integrity.”

Wiggins lives in Greensboro and is the presiding judge of the state’s Fourth Judicial Circuit. In addition to his ASU degree, he holds a Juris Doctor from Howard University and received a Master of Laws from Atlanta’s Emory University in 1992.

Wiggins says he has remained very involved in ASU since his graduation 19 years ago, consistently working with campus life organizations, the Student Government Association, campus political science groups, and the school’s recruiting efforts.

“This will be a new experience for me, though, as an actual decision maker for the university,” he says. “I think my experience as a judge will certainly bring something to the table, and I’m also hoping to offer the Board a more youthful kind of experience…I think I can bring a different dynamic in terms of my civic and community involvement, especially those that involve young people.”

Wiggins added that whatever assets he could offer the ASU Board, the most important goal to focus on was working together to make the University the best institution it can be.

“The main thing,” he said, “is for us to work to continue the vision of the President. I want to come in and be a team player. We’ll be tackling a lot of the same issues that most universities are dealing with. They’ve achieved a lot since I left, but we can still achieve a lot more working with the University.

“I feel honored,” Wiggins added, “that the governor thought enough of me to talk to me and ask me to share in his vision for Alabama State.”.

Wiggins’s term will begin upon his appearance before the Senate Confirmations Committee and his appointment by the Alabama state Senate. He will represent the Sixth Congressional seat on the Board and is replacing Toreatha Johnson. The other new nominee is Herbert Young, a financial professional from Hoover.