A former president of the University of Missouri system, Elson Floyd, has died at 59 of complications from colon cancer.
Floyd had been president at Washington State University since 2007 and went on medical leave earlier this month. He died Saturday morning at Pullman Regional Hospital.
In a statement from the university, the chair of the Board of Regents, Ryan Durkan, said Floyd will be remembered for a successful $1 billion capital campaign, for gaining bipartisan support for a medical school at WSU's Spokane campus and for leading the school to its largest enrollment in 125 years.
Floyd, a native of North Carolina, was president of the University of Missouri system from 2003-2007.