COLUMBUS — Ohio State University President William Kirwan said Monday that he will leave the state's largest university to become chancellor of the university system of Maryland.

        Mr. Kirwan spent 34 years at the University of Maryland as a professor and was president from 1989 to 1998 before becoming president at Ohio State.

        “The decision has caused me great anguish because I feel enormously proud and privileged to serve as president of this universi ty,” Mr. Kirwan said in a statement.

        The Maryland university system has been searching for a replacement for Chancellor Donald Langenberg, who will step down in April as head of the organization overseeing Maryland's public universities.

        Mr. Kirwan said the move was based on family considerations. The Kirwans' two children were raised in Maryland and live there with the Kirwans' grandchildren.

        “Patty and I will soon be 64, and at this stage of our lives, spending time with them is of paramount importance,” he said. “While both positions offer extraordinary professional challenges and rewards, the position in Maryland affords us the opportunity to continue doing important work in higher education while living near our family.”

        Mr. Kirwan said that until the offer from Maryland came last week he had expected to remain at Ohio State for another year or two. His five-year contract at Ohio State runs through June 2003.

        Mr. Kirwan will begin his new duties Aug. 1.

        Ohio State University alums number 11,955 in Greater Cincinnati. According to the OSU Alumni Association, there are 7,271 in Hamilton County; 601 in Cler mont; 2,344 in Butler and 1,739 in Warren County.

        Board chairman David Brennan said the trustees will determine in the next few days the selection process for a new president.

        As Maryland president, Mr. Kirwan was credited with raising the quality of the undergraduate student body by reducing its size and starting an honors program intended to keep Maryland's top high school students from leaving the state.

        As he did in Maryland, Mr. Kirwan has clashed with Ohio legislators over higher education budgets and tuition. Ohio State voted to raise tuition 19 percent this fall for new students and 9 percent for returning students.

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