California Community Colleges Board of Governors named former Los Rios Community College District Chief Brice Harris as the 15th Chancellor of the California Community College District. Harris has come out of retirement to take the position after serving 16 years as the Los Rios Community College Chancellor.

“It is humbling to be asked to lead such a tremendous system of colleges serving the educational needs to California,” Harris said in a press release. “The California Community Colleges have helped educate generations of citizens, and these colleges are even more important to the future of our great state… Serving as the system chancellor at this time is very exciting.”

Harris will begin his duties on Nov. 6 and receive an annual salary of $198,500 plus a standard benefits package afforded to state employees, a significant pay cut from his pay as Los Rios Chancellor of $390,000.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation. It is composed of 72 districts and 112 colleges serving 2.4 million students per year.