Dr. Paul Oliaro, Fresno State’s vice president of student affairs, is retiring after the fall semester. Fresno State President Joseph Castro confirmed Oliaro’s retirement in an email sent to the campus community on Thursday.

Oliaro, who also served as interim athletics director for the university, has held his position as vice president since 2002.

Fresno State will begin an immediate search for a new vice president in hopes of filling the position “by the end of December.”

“Dr. Oliaro has done extraordinary work as Vice President for Student Affairs for the past 11 years at Fresno State,” Castro said in the email. “While I would have liked him to stay on longer, he believes it is time to wrap up his 42 years in the Student Affairs profession and spend more time with his wife Kathy, their children and grandchildren.”

Oliaro held the same position he currently holds at Pennsylvania’s West Chester University for nine years prior to coming to Fresno State.