Longtime University of South Dakota president to retire

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) - Longtime University of South Dakota President Jim Abbott says he plans to retire next year.

The 69-year-old Abbott told students and faculty in a “State of the University” address Wednesday that he plans to end his 21-year run of leading the school in June 2018.

Abbott says he’s proud of his alma mater “and all the progress we’ve made,” but says it’s time for new leadership to “take USD to the next level.”

Abbott has been the president of USD since 1997. The Argus Leader reports he was the first alumnus to be named president of the school and is the second-longest serving president in university history.