A longtime Kansas University communication studies professor and former dean of graduate studies will leave KU for a new job at St. Louis University.

Diana Carlin will become SLU’s associate vice president for graduate education.

“It’s a very, very good university,” she said. “I was really kind of interested in one more challenge before I retire for good.”

Carlin, an expert on presidential debates, said she has been at KU for the last 24 years. It’s a place that gave her an undergraduate degree and her first graduate degree, and helped her out tremendously as a faculty member, she said. She served for seven years as dean of the Graduate School and International Programs.

“I hope I’ve given back to KU half of what KU’s given to me,” Carlin said.

She said she’ll be back in town from time to time and hopes to initiate ties with the strong KU alumni group in St. Louis.

In her new job, she will oversee a transition to a model for delivering graduate education that mirrors the system she oversaw at KU.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Carlin to the Saint Louis University community,” said Manoj Patankar, SLU vice president, in a news release. “She will be a great addition given her leadership history in graduate education.”

Carlin’s husband, Kansas Court of Appeals Judge G. Joseph Pierron, will retain his judgeship, she said.

“We’ll trade weekends,” Carlin said.