The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees selected Neil Theobald to be the university's acting president.
Theobald has served as UW's vice president for finance and administration for close to a year. Prior to that, he worked for nearly 20 years in the administration at Indiana University in various capacities.
He said he plans to use his expertise in education finance to make sure UW stays affordable and accessible.
"There's a lot more we can do financially to bring a UW education to more Wyoming students," said Theobald.
He would like to see the college attendance rate increase in the state, and said affordable higher education is necessary to make that happen.
"I've done a lot of things with education funding, and I think there are things we can work on to help on that," said Theobald.
He'll take over as acting president on July 1. Outgoing UW President Laurie Nichols will take a faculty position. Her contract was not renewed by the Board of Trustees.
"This is not a simple time but we've got 12 months here to advance the strategic plan that President Nichols was so involved in putting together," said Theobald. "I'm certainly going to do everything I can to help set the next president up for success."
Theobald has a 12-month appointment as president. When that concludes, he said he plans to return to solely focusing on his role as vice president of finance and administration.
Theobald first came to the University of Wyoming over 30 years ago to work on a project as a graduate student and grew a fondness for the campus and community. He said he's honored to have been selected to serve as the university's next president.