Western Nevada College President Vincent Solis announced Tuesday that he will leave the Carson City school at the end of 2021 after being named the new president of a community college near Houston. 

The decision made by Brazosport College regents follows an announcement in October that Solis was the “sole finalist” in a months-long search to replace the school’s long-serving outgoing president, who is slated to leave in January.  

His departure comes after a little more than three years on the job. Solis initially took on the presidency at WNC — Nevada’s smallest institution by enrollment with roughly 3,600 students — in July 2018. 

The move marks a return to Texas for Solis, who received three degrees from Texas A&M and spent years there as an educator and administrator. That includes, most recently, a stint as a senior vice president for academic affairs at Laredo Community College. 

In a statement released by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Tuesday, Solis said he made the decision “based on the opportunity to serve my home state of Texas and in consideration of my family needs.”

His departure will likely initiate a new search at the Nevada System of Higher Education over the coming weeks and months. But with upheaval at the governing levels of the system, how quickly that search may be authorized — and subsequently completed — is unclear. 

The statement Tuesday from NSHE said information on interim leadership would be announced “in the coming weeks,” following a decision by Chancellor Melody Rose and interim leaders of the Board of Regents.