Paul Sarvela
Paul Sarvela

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Southern Illinois University has named Paul Sarvela as acting chancellor of its Carbondale campus.

The SIU Board of Trustees Board of Trustees on Tuesday selected Sarvela. He is the Carbondale campus’ vice president for academic affairs.

SIU System President Randy J. Dunn said in a news release that he believes Sarvela has the leadership skills to unite the campus.

Outgoing Chancellor Rita Cheng has been named president of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Cheng had been the Carbondale school’s chancellor since 2010.

A process for searching for Cheng’s permanent successor will be sorted out after an SIU board meeting July 24 in Springfield.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)