Coastal Carolina University's board of trustees voted unanimously today to name David DeCenzo the next president of the university. DeCenzo, who is Coastal's provost and senior vice president of academic administration, will assume the position on July 1 pending approval of the salary package and contract by the S.C. Budget and Control Board.

The board also unanimously endorsed the appointment of Edgar Dyer to the newly created position of executive vice president, effective July 1. Dyer, who was a final candidate for the president's position, will provide leadership for the areas of strategic planning, capital projects and government relations.

"The board is pleased to have these two gentlemen as the next leaders of our university," said Charles Hodge, chairman of Coastal's board of trustees. "They will work together as part of a team approach to move Coastal Carolina University forward."

DeCenzo joined Coastal's administration in 2002 when he was named dean of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration. He was named provost in May 2006. Before joining the Coastal faculty, DeCenzo served as director of partnership development in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University in Maryland from 1999 to 2002. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Maryland College Park and a master's degree and Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

An experienced industry consultant, DeCenzo has served a wide variety of clients including Citicorp Global Technology, Moen Inc., Motorola and others. His major academic interests are in human resource management, management and organizational behavior. He is the author of textbooks that are used widely at colleges and universities throughout the United States and the world. He serves on the board of directors of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Center, and he served a two-year term on the Conway Chamber of Commerce's board of directors.

As dean of Coastal's Wall College, DeCenzo led the move to establish a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. He also helped create the Wall Center of Excellence, designed to enhance and reinforce business students' skills through experiential learning. As provost, he instituted Centers for Excellence to support student internships, research and travel in each of the university's four colleges.

DeCenzo and his wife, Terri, have four children.

Dyer has been a member of Coastal's political science faculty since 1976. He was the first recipient of the HTC Teacher-Scholar Lecturer Award and has also received the Distinguished Teaching Award, the Student Development Award, and he is an honorary inductee of the CCU Athletic Hall of Fame. He has a variety of scholarly publications in the areas of land use law, state and local government, academic freedom and African-American history. He has also been interim dean of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, interim athletic director, and executive director of the Coastal Educational Foundation.

Dyer earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Guilford College, a master's degree in public administration from the University of South Carolina, and a juris doctor degree from the University of South Carolina.

Dyer and his wife, Cynthia, have two children.

The search process began in early 2006 to identify a successor for Ronald R. Ingle, who will retire June 30, 2007, following a nearly 14-year tenure as president. A 12-person advisory committee began work in May to review applications for the position.