(AP) — University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken has been named chancellor of the City University of New York.

The CUNY Board of Trustees approved Milliken’s appointment unanimously at a special meeting on Wednesday. He will begin no later than June 1.

CUNY is the third-largest university system in the United States, with 24 campuses across New York City and 270,000 degree-credit students.

Milliken, a Fremont native, began his career at the University of Nebraska as an assistant to the president in 1988. He later became a vice president of external affairs before leaving in 1998 for a similar role at the University of North Carolina. He became NU’s president in 2004.

In a statement, Milliken says his service at Nebraska “has been one of the greatest privileges of my career.”