After a decade as president of Cedarville University, William E. Brown in June will step down to begin advocating for the school in a different way, as chancellor.

Brown, president since 2003, during his tenure led the private, Baptist university to record enrollment, through construction of the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies in 2008 and the Health Sciences Center this year, as the school added new academic programs, including the doctor of pharmacy program.

“Things are going well at the university, so it’s a nice thing to hand off to somebody else,” the 58-year-old said. “When I came in, the university was in great shape. We’ve made some huge strides in everything from reconfiguring our financial aid to starting some new strategic programs.”

As chancellor, Brown will represent the 125-year-old university in speaking engagements around the world and writings, and will be raising money for the school. It will be a full-time job, said Lorne Scharnburg, chairman of the university Board of Trustees.

“We’re happy he’s going to be a very active chancellor,” said Scharnburg, a member of the board for 18 years.

Scharnburg said the university was in a strong position when Brown became president, “and it’s continued to grow and grow well and prosper under his leadership.” He said the university has been blessed by Brown’s service.

Cedarville is unique in the area because every student must profess their faith in Jesus Christ, every graduate has a Bible minor and everyone attends on-campus chapel five days a week. The university’s goal is to “be one of the most influential Christ-center universities in the 21st century.”

As Cedarville searches for its fourth president in 60 years, they will look for a leader who can lead the university to that vision, who can continue the tradition of the president speaking at chapel on Monday and whose beliefs match those of the university, Scharnburg and Brown said.

“At the same time, you need somebody who understands business,” Brown said, noting the university has 700 employees. “And an understanding of how higher education is changing.”

Brown said the university is also undergoing several accreditation reviews for new programs, including a master of ministry. He said Cedarville is also planning to aggressive grow the number of students taking classes online by adding more online academic programs, including an MBA program, and general classes.

Under Brown’s direction, the university added a provost, upgraded its athletic program to become a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and has seen its enrollment grow to 3,386 this year. It was 2,996 in 2002, according to the university.

Brown said being president of the university has been an incredible blessing to himself and his family. Brown led also Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn., for 10 years prior to coming to Cedarville. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida, and has a master of theology degree and Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary.

“I think the thing that I look back on the most with a great sense of accomplishment is just the spirit of the student body. I don’t take that for granted,” he said. “A lot of students at colleges, there’s such a disunity and lack of harmony. Our students, they’re different. I look at that and say, that makes this a great place for learning. That’s what I’m going to miss the most.”