photo by: Contributed

Stacey Swearingen White

The leader of KU’s highly ranked School of Public Affairs & Administration is leaving to become a dean at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Stacey Swearingen White has announced her resignation at KU to become dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the Illinois university. Marilu Goodyear, who served as the director of KU’s school from 2007 to 2014 — has agreed to serve as the interim director of KU’s School of Public Affairs & Administration.

Swearingen White had been at KU for 24 years, serving in a variety of roles, first as a faculty member in the urban planning program and later as the director of that program. Urban planning eventually merged with the public administration program. Also during her tenure, Swearingen White was a co-founder of KU’s Center of Sustainability and was active in leading a program that focused on food insecurity among KU students.

“I am truly grateful for all the opportunities KU has given me,” she said. “While it is difficult to leave students, friends and colleagues for this next chapter, I am confident the School of Public Affairs & Administration is on a solid footing for continued success in the future.”

The school is consistently ranked among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report for its graduate programs in local government management.

She will remain at KU through the spring semester, the university said in a press release. Details about the search process to find her replacement have not yet been announced.