Great Bend ? A Kansas community college president who announced he was leaving for another job but withdrew after his wife was indicted for fraud has been selected to replace himself.

The Barton County Community College Board of Trustees voted Thursday morning to offer Veldon L. Law his old job back. Law’s tenure as president will continue through the 2003-04 school year.

In March, Law, who has been Barton County Community College’s president for six years, announced that he was leaving to become president of Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill.

Law was to succeed retiring President James Howard on July 1. However, after Law’s wife, Deborah Lorraine, was indicted May 8 on two counts of wire fraud and one of mail fraud, Law said he would no longer take that job.

The indictment accused Deborah Law of falsifying income information and an inspection report included in loan packages from 1998 through 1999, while she was president and co-owner of Community Home Mortgage Inc. in Great Bend.

Law has said he expects his wife to be cleared of wrongdoing, but that the cloud created by allegations against her could hurt support for him in Illinois.

Law did not campaign to get his old job back. Nonetheless, the Barton County trustees voted unanimously to offer him a new contract after assessing how the community would receive the idea.

“The trustees stand united in our confidence in Dr. Law’s ability to continue to move the college forward in a progressive and visionary manner,” trustee Stephan Mermis said in a prepared statement.

Law said the support he had received from the college and community was a major factor in his decision to return.

“Without that support, it is pretty difficult to provide leadership and serve as one would like,” he said.