BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — University of Virginia executive vice president and provost John Simon will become the new president of Lehigh University next year.

Officials said Simon will take over as the 14th president of the 148-year-old eastern Pennsylvania university in July 2015.

Former president Alice Gast announced in January that she would be stepping down after eight years to become president of Imperial College London.

His tenure in Virginia included establishment of a global studies major and a physical presence for the university in Asia, and launch of the data science and advanced research institutes.

In a statement, Simon called Lehigh “an exceptional university with an outstanding reputation.”

Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, has more than 6,900 students attending its schools for arts and sciences, business and economics, education, and engineering and applied science.

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