An administrator currently with Siena Heights University has been named the next and final president of the school in Adrian, Michigan. 

Dr. Cheri Betz was named the university's 12th president upon the departure of Dr. Douglas Palmer, the school said Thursday. Betz has a 20-year history with Siena Heights University, most recently as its executive vice president.  

This is the final academic year for Siena Heights University, which announced the pending closure in the summer. The Catholic University was founded in 1919 and is one of about a dozen Dominican Catholic colleges and universities in the country.  

In addition to the main campus in Adrian, the university offered what it called "degree completion centers" at several Southeast Michigan locations. 

The college said it would hold a full schedule of classes, events, sports and student activities in its final year, while working with staff, faculty and students on transition and transfer plans. Baker College, for example, has offered to meet with students who are still working on degrees for credit transfers and scholarship opportunities. 

"I am here to serve," Betz said. "The year ahead of us is a critical one in that we uphold our promise of an honorable closure. I will not waiver in my commitment to students, faculty, staff, and alumni to make our final chapter one that honors the legacy of the institution."