University of Central Missouri president leaving for Ohio

The University of Central Missouri is looking for a new president.

Charles "Chuck" Ambrose, who has led the university in Warrensburg for the past eight years, on Friday announced he is resigning and taking a position as CEO and president of KnowledgeWorks in Cincinnati.

Ambrose, who leaves UCM on Sept. 1, made the announcement during a meeting of the university's Board of Governors. In an email to the campus community, Ambrose called his new position "a new chapter." He has spent 20 years as a college and university president.

KnowledgeWorks, is a 20-year-old national nonprofit.

“Their mission, very similar to UCM’s, is to provide every student the tools to learn in ways that provide readiness and success for college, career, and a meaningful life," Ambrose said in his statement. "This new leadership position is on a national platform that will extend and encourage use of many of the same tools for transformation that UCM has built like our commitment to College Completion, the Missouri Innovation Campus, and our service to military and veterans.”

University officials said Ambrose has been a strong leader for the campus and gained a national reputation as an innovator in higher education.

He led the charge to create the Missouri Innovation Campus, a joint initiative with the Lee’s Summit school district and Metropolitan Community College. President Barack Obama's administration highlighted it as a model for preparing high school students for college and college students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.