There will be a new leader of Purdue athletics in 2017.

The school announced on Thursday that athletic director Morgan Burke will be stepping down in July 2017. Burke had made his plans known to the university more than a year ago, and he made the public announcement on Thursday while at an alumni event in Florida.

Burke has been leading Purdue athletics since 1993, and he was one of the longest tenured athletic directors in the country. His successor will be the school’s fourth full-time AD since 1942.

The university already has a search committee in place to hire Burke’s replacement. Chairman of the Board of Trustees Michael Berghoff, a former Purdue football player, will lead the group, which includes:

  • Christie Sahley, associate dean in the College of Science and a longtime Faculty Athletic Representative
  • Stephanie White, 1999 Purdue graduate and current head coach of the Indiana Fever
  • Rod Woodson, former Boilermaker, College and Pro Football Hall of Famer and the Oakland Raiders’ assistant defensive backs coach
  • Purdue standout and NFL veteran Matt Light
  • Christa Szalach, a junior on Purdue’s soccer team
  • Nancy Cross, senior associate athletics director

In the final month of the 2015 season, Burke went on BTN Live and showed his support of Darrell Hazell, who will enter his fourth year at the helm of the football program. It remains to be seen how Burke’s pending departure will impact Hazell’s future in West Lafayette.