Erroll B. Davis Jr., who has led the University System of Georgia since 2006, today announced that he would retire when his five-year contract expires next June. In announcing his departure he cited his contract and the need for his successor to establish a relationship with the state's next governor. (Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican, is ineligible to seek another term.) Mr. Davis, a former energy executive, earned plaudits for bringing business efficiencies to the 35-institution system during several years of tight budgets. Recently he received negative publicity over his long tenure on BP's Board of Directors, a spot he relinquished shortly before the company's April oil-rig accident.

The National Center for Policy Analysis today released a report called "Why Is College So Expensive?" The report builds on recent analyses that have tracked where colleges are spending revenue from increased tuition rates. Among other findings, the group said universities are spending more per degree awarded, and the cost of instruction is not keeping pace with other expenses, including administration and faculty research.

Phillip O. Barry, president of Mesalands College, in New Mexico, was sentenced recently after being found guilty of driving under the influence in 2009, the Clovis News Journal reports. Mr. Barry received a year of probation for the misdemeanor, and was suspended last year by the two-year college's governing board for a week without pay. His blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest was 0.12 percent, slightly above New Mexico's legal limit of 0.08, according to news reports.

John R. Strassburger, president of Ursinus College from 1995 until this past summer, died today at the age of 68 after a long battle with prostate cancer, university officials said. Mr. Strassburger, a strong national voice on liberal education, spoke with The Chronicle as he prepared to step down last June, reflecting on his tenure and the future of liberal-arts colleges. The college plans to name a campus space the Strassburger Commons.

Timothy P. Ryan, chancellor of the University of New Orleans since 2003, was fired today by John V. Lombardi, president of the Louisiana State University system, according to news reports. Mr. Ryan did not leave quietly, saying that the system had been micromanaging the New Orleans campus and that "there could be no worse time to make this kind of change in leadership." A statement issued by the system confirmed Mr. Ryan's immediate resignation but did not state a reason. The system, with a $2.4-billion operating budget, is planning for a possible $215-million budget cut, which could lead to layoffs and a decline in enrollment.

Andrew A. Sorensen, president of the University of South Carolina from 2002 to 2008, is Ohio State University's next vice president for university development. It is rare, if not unprecedented, for a former president of a flagship public institution to take a job as fund raiser at another university. Mr. Sorensen, who was also previously president of the University of Alabama, will lead Ohio State's forthcoming campaign after he arrives in October. He is currently a professor of medicine at South Carolina and leads the Institute for the Advancement of Health Care, a collaboration between the university and the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center.

The University of North Carolina today hired Thomas W. Ross, president of Davidson College since 2007, as the 17-campus system's next president. Although it's a big leap from a small liberal-arts college to a top public-university system, the new leader is a veteran of North Carolina politics. A graduate of the Chapel Hill campus's law school, Mr. Ross, who is 60, served for 17 years as a judge on the state's Supreme Court. He is a native of Greensboro, like Erskine B. Bowles, the system's current president, who will step down in December. Mr. Bowles, a White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration, is co-chair of President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The university, which has long been one the nation's best-financed public systems, has faced recent state budget cuts.

Sean O'Keefe, who resigned as chancellor of Lousiana State University at Baton Rouge in 2008, is among the survivors of a plane crash Monday in Alaska, according to news reports. The crash killed at least five people, including former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens. Mr. O'Keefe, who led NASA before his four-year stint at LSU, is currently chief executive of EADS North America, a defense contractor. He and Mr. Stevens were apparently embarking on a fishing trip when the single-engine plane went down, and Mr. O'Keefe's son, Kevin, is also reported to be among survivors. Mr. O'Keefe's resignation at LSU came amid rumors that he had been asked to leave by the system's incoming president, John V. Lombardi.

The Tennessee Board of Regents today elected the state's deputy to the governor, John Morgan, as its next chancellor. Mr. Morgan, a Democrat, is Tennessee's former comptroller. He has not worked in higher education. The board oversees most of the state's public universities and community colleges. A search to replace the current chancellor, Charles Manning, who is retiring, took two years.

Douglas C. Bennett, Earlham College's president since 1997, will retire next June. A national voice on higher education, Mr. Bennett is a former board chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He plans to take a year off, he said in a letter to campus, and then to get involved again in issues of "accountability, access, learning and assessment."