A longtime Nittany Lion secured the position of top Cyclone Monday, when the Iowa State Board of Regents announced their decision for the new president of Iowa State University.

Gregory Geoffroy, former dean of the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, will take over as the 14th president on July 1, according to a release from the Ames, Iowa, university.

Geoffroy (pronounced Jo-free) also served as professor of chemistry and head of the department during more than two decades here beginning in 1974. Most recently, he worked as a top administrator at the University of Maryland.

He beat out three other finalists for the new post at Iowa State.

Two weeks ago, The Des Moines Register incorrectly reported rumors that Penn State President Graham Spanier was also on the short list. Spanier's current contract, extended by the Board of Trustees in July, runs through 2005.

Three of his four children have graduated from Penn State, including most recently, his daughter Janet, who is now working for IBM, according to Evan Pugh Professor of Physics Moses Chan.

Geoffroy was also being considered for president of the University of Kentucky, but he took himself out of the running Monday. At Iowa State, he will earn $275,000 in annual salary, almost $40,000 more than his predecessor.