Southeast provost to step down in June

Southeast Missouri State University provost William Eddleman announced in a news release Wednesday he will step down as the university's chief academic officer effective June 1 and return to the faculty until Jan. 1, 2016, when he plans to retire.

A professor of biology, Eddleman was appointed provost in November 2013 after serving as vice provost and dean of the school of graduate studies and chairman of the department of biology.

"Being provost has been the most rewarding aspect of my 21-year career at Southeast Missouri State University, but at the same time, it has been a challenging position that required tremendous effort and focus," Eddleman said in a statement. "I am looking forward to returning to the classroom. Since I plan to retire at the end of this calendar year, I felt that our new president, Dr. Carlos Vargas, should have the opportunity to begin the provost search process as early as possible."