Michael Nietzel, the president of Missouri State University, has announced that he will step down from his post by December 2010 - or earlier if his replacement is ready to start before then - for various personal and professional reasons.

Nietzel, 62, is on a plane this afternoon and so was unavailable for immediate comment. But in a new release, he said that it was a difficult decision for him to step away from a job he loves.

“But I decided in August that my time to resign is here,” he said in the release. “At both the personal and professional levels, I want and need a change. The presidency of MSU is a very public, demanding, and complex job. I have concluded that I cannot continue to do that job at a level of achievement that I want from myself and that the university has every right to expect from its president.”

Brian Hammons, the chairman of the MSU board, said Nietzel told the board of his decision to step down at a closed meeting on Friday. He said the board has been unanimously supportive of him. He added that the board renewed his contract earlier this year, which took effect in July, adding another four years to his contract.

“We had hoped to have him for another four years, but recognized there was a possibility he may want to step back before then,” Hammons said.

The new contract also included a number of retention bonuses — including as much as $125,000 if he stayed through 2013 — as incentives for him to continue. Nietzel receives a salary of $267,372, plus a housing allowance, use of a car, and other benefits

In his four years as president of Missouri State, Nietzel has become a prominent voice for increased state funding of public higher education. As the recent president of a group of public university presidents in the state, he helped broker the deal with Gov. Jay Nixon for a tuition freeze at the state’s universities this year in exchange for an agreement not to receive state funding cuts.

Nietzel has also created cooperative relationships with other university leaders — including University of Missouri President Gary Forsee — fostering more friendly relationship between the two schools than had been previously the case. Nietzel took over as president a couple months before the school’s name was changed from Southwest Missouri State University.

On a more institutional level, Nietzel also had to oversee a series of budget cuts during lean times. He also spearheaded an effort to be more accountable for the public with a scorecard that is now on the university’s Web site. He also started a new scholarship program — the Missouri State Promise — in which students at or below the poverty level can attend the school for free and receive a stipend for books. During his tenure, the school has also experienced record enrollments.

Nietzel said he is prepared to step down as soon as the board finds a new president. He does not have definite plans, but his contract entitles him to a semester sabbatical at full pay or a year sabbatical at half-pay. He can also remain a tenured faculty member in the psychology department if he so chooses.