SMU has announced that Vice President for Business and Finance Dana Gibson will leave July 1 to assume the presidency at National University in La Jolla, Calif., according to an SMU press release.

“SMU’s Board of Trustees and I appreciate the outstanding leadership Dana Gibson has shown in managing university finances and improving business processes,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a statement.

Gibson has overseen the purchase of the Expressway Tower and other property on Central Expressway. She’s also supervised budgets and financial planning, human resources, risk management, police, campus planning and plant operations and information technology services.

“While not one I sought, the opportunity at National University is intriguing and a fit for my personal interest in higher education,” Gibson said in a statement. “The difficult part is leaving all the wonderful individuals I have worked with at SMU.”

SMU Vice President for Executive Affairs Tom Barry will lead the search committee that will appoint her replacement.