NAU President Rita Cheng stepping down at end of contract

PHOENIX – Northern Arizona University is losing its lead Lumberjack.

Rita Cheng, the Flagstaff school’s president for the past six years, has decided not to seek an extension to her current contract, the Arizona Board of Regents announced Tuesday.

“Although a difficult decision, after 40 years in higher education, I have decided that it is time to step away from this role,” Cheng said in a press release.

Cheng was hired as NAU’s 16th president in August 2014. Her current contract, which was extended in 2018, runs through June 30, 2021, and pays her an annual base salary of $475,000.

The Board of Regents said a nationwide search for Cheng’s successor will begin this fall.

“I will dedicate my remaining time as president to ensuring our students have many choices to access their NAU education during these challenging COVID-19 times and that NAU continues to be a premier Arizona university,” she said.

Before landing in Flagstaff, Cheng was chancellor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She also has been provost and vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

She earned a Ph.D. in management from Temple University, an MBA from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s from Bishop’s University in Canada.

Related

Presidents of ASU, NAU and UA get healthy pay raisesKearny mayor says town’s water supply should last through this year, but 2027 is questionableSmall plane crash near Chandler Municipal Airport leaves 1 deadKatie Hobbs dodges debate question twice, says she’d rather meet voters face to face36-year-old man dies at hospital after detained for fight in southeast PhoenixAPS sets all-time electricity demand record as extreme heat strains Arizona power grid