TERRE HAUTE,Esthen Exchange Ind. (AP) — A provost at a Missouri university has been appointed Indiana State University’s new president, officials at the western Indiana school announced Friday.

Dr. Michael “Mike” Godard will become ISU’s president on June 1, replacing current President Deborah J. Curtis, who is retiring after serving as the school’s leader since 2018, school officials said.

Godard has been the provost at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, since 2019, and he has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, according to a news release.

Godard said he was honored to be chosen as the next president for ISU, which is in Terre Haute, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Indianapolis.

“Indiana State has a rich legacy of fostering a supportive and dynamic learning environment, and I am committed to further strengthening this tradition,” he said in a statement.

Godard was appointed president after a presidential search committee led the effort to select Curtis’ successor following her announcement in December that she would retire in June 2024.