Longtime Neumann University leader plans to retire in 2017

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ASTON, Pa. (AP) — The longtime president of Neumann University in suburban Philadelphia says she's retiring next June.

Seventy-eight-year-old Rosalie Mirenda made the announcement Monday after more than two decades at the helm of the university. The Catholic university's longest-serving president says now is the right time for this transition.

Mirenda became president in 1996 but began her time at Neumann as a nursing instructor in 1973. During her tenure as president, the university has grown from a commuter college of less than 900 students to a residential school of nearly 3,000 students.

James Delaney, the chair of the university's board of trustees, says Mirenda is a tireless advocate and a visionary for the school. The board plans to start a search for Mirenda's successor.