RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Commonwealth University President Eugene P. Trani's 19-year tenure as leader of the state's largest university is ending.

The 69-year-old Trani announced last August that he was retiring a year earlier than planned, citing health reasons.

He underwent quintuple-bypass surgery last July.

Trani's last day as president was Tuesday. He will remain as a professor after taking a yearlong sabbatical.

His successor, Central Michigan University President Michael Rao, will become VCU's fifth president Wednesday.

Rao has served as Central Michigan's president since 2000.

Before that he was chancellor of Montana State University-Northern, and president of Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif.

VCU Board of Visitors member Anne G. "Panny" Rhodes said the transition has been smooth.

A date for the 42-year-old Rao's inauguration hasn't been set. He announced his resignation from CMU on Feb. 20.

Kathy Wilbur, vice president of Governmental Relations and Public Affairs, has since become the interim university president.

Reports indicate Wilbur will not be a candidate for the permanent president's job since the university has hired a search firm to help find a replacement for Rao.

She is a former Michigan State University trustee and led three different state departments under former Gov. John Engler.

Wilbur's annual salary was set at $230,000. Rao's VCU approved annual compensation package totals $615,000.