STEPPING DOWN: Simpson College President Retiring

Simpson College in Indianola is looking for a new president.

The college’s 22nd president, John Byrd, says he will retire at the end of the 2012/2013 academic year.

Byrd became Simpson’s president in 2005.

“In thinking about when to retire and, more importantly, about the right timing for Simpson, I concluded that with a number of projects coming to fruition it was the right time for a transition of leadership,” Byrd said in a statement released Wednesday.

Fred Hubbell, chairman of Simpson`s board of trustees, says Byrd’s early announcement allows college leaders to begin the search process while students and faculty are still on campus.

The search for Simpson`s next president will begin immediately.