LINCOLN, Neb. -- The President of the University of Nebraska System has announced he will be leaving the school to be the next president at Ohio State University. 

NU President Ted Carter said he will be stepping away Dec. 31 to join Ohio State. 

Carter sent an email out Tuesday afternoon announcing the change. 

In the announcement, Carter said that he accepted an offer to become the next president of Ohio State University. 

He wrote that he committed to the Board of Regents that I will serve as NU's president until Dec. 31, allowing the school time to determine the next steps for the system.

"This was a bittersweet decision for Lynda and me," Carter wrote. "In our four years here, we have come to treasure Nebraska as our own home state."

Carter said the opportunity at Ohio State allows him to advance the work and mission of public higher education at another Big Ten university. 

"Just as Lynda and I saw the University of Nebraska four years ago as the next calling in our lives of service, we now see Ohio State as a calling that we will do our best to answer," Carter wrote.

“I congratulate president Carter and wish him and his wife Lynda all the best as they move on to their next challenge," said Doug Kristensen, UNK Chancellor. "It’s a tremendous opportunity. President Carter has made a lasting impact on Nebraska. The university is in a position of strength and stability as we begin the 2023 academic year and beyond. We stand ready to carry out our mission and vision.”