EDMOND — Patti Neuhold will become the University of Central Oklahoma's 21st president July 1 — the first woman to lead the university — officials announced Friday.

"It shows diversity and switches things up," said Macayla Hill, a sophomore from Oklahoma City. "It's about time. She deserves it."

Neuhold, 45, is UCO's vice president for finance and chief financial officer. She will succeed President Don Betz when he retires June 30 after eight years as UCO president.

The Board of Regents for the Regional University System of Oklahoma named Neuhold as the successor following a meeting Friday on the campus of East Central University in Ada. UCO is one of six universities governed by the regional board of regents.