ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio University President Dr. M. Duane Nellis has announced he’s stepping down effective June 30, 2021, but will stay on with the university.

The University’s Board of Trustees is expected to accept Nellis’ request to return to faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences.

A search for Nellis’ replacement — and the school’s 22nd president — is expected to begin soon, with an interim president to be in place by July 1.

Nellis’ four-year tenure included transitioning the university to virtual learning and remote operations, followed by the return to in-person and hybrid instruction.

In a message to the OU community last month, Nellis said the University will move toward “a largely normal Fall 2021 semester.”