The U.S. Air Force Academy’s faculty boss will retire next year, kicking off a search for the school’s 11th dean.

Brig. Gen. Andy Armacost, who has held the job since 2013, will retire on Aug. 1, 2019. During his six years, Armacost fought to bring more liberal arts instruction to the academy and led changes to the school’s decades-old core curriculum, notoriously packed with math, science and engineering.

“I’m honored to have spent 19 years serving at the academy in a variety of roles that support cadet education and development,” said Armacost said in a statement.

“I am extraordinarily proud of the accomplishments we have made over the last five years. Our work has allowed us to deliver nationally ranked academic programs, to develop innovative educational approaches to support our graduates’ success, and to provide an integrated system of leader development.”

The academy dean leads a 700-member staff overseeing the nation’s two undergraduate research program and a renowned engineering program that has consistently earned top marks in national rankings.

He also oversees the academic life for 4,000 academy cadets who earn a bachelor’s degree in science along with their officer’s rank over four years.

Son of a Coast Guard officer, Armacost entered the Air Force after graduating from Northwestern University in 1989. Before taking the dean’s job, Armacost rose through the ranks in the academy’s behavioral science department.