A change of leadership is coming to Niagara University. After 13 years, the school will be getting a new president As YNN's Katie Morse tells us, Father Levesque is stepping down from that role, but plans to take on another at the University.

LEWISTON, N.Y. -- Since 2000, Niagara University has been under the leadership of Father Joseph Levesque. On Tuesday, he announced he'll be stepping down from the position of president, but still staying at the university to help in the future.

"NU has been my home for over 40 years. And I'm happy, god willing, that I can continue to live its mission of being a Catholic and Vincentian University," said Levesque.

The North Tonawanda native started at N.U. in the '70s, and recently completed an $80 million capital campaign there. Levesque didn't take the decision to step down lightly, saying it's been on his mind for the past couple years.

"When I started here I was a teacher. And when you move into administration you move away a little bit from the students. I'd like to use this as an opportunity to get back and be with the students," he explained.

Levesque will be taking a smaller administrative role, and staying on to help the new president with the transition. Looking back, he says it's hard to pick a favorite moment at the school.

"I never planned on being president. It was never in my dreams. So I think I would say not one thing, the fact that I could become president of a place that I love since I came in '70, to give leadership, and take the university's ideas and my ideas and make them real," he said.

The Board of Trustees has already established a committee to help find the new president, and faculty and staff members will be included on it. They say they're hoping to make an announcement by March so that person could start by the summer.