DENVER -- The University of Denver has chosen a new chancellor to fill the shoes of the legendary Dan Ritchie.

DU provost Robert Coombe has been named the university's new chancellor during a news conference Tuesday.

Ritchie has been DU chancellor since 1989. He'll become chairman of the board of trustees.

Ritchie is credited with saving the private university from closure by serving without pay, and donating $65 million to the school after selling his Colorado ranch. The school now has about 9,700 students.

Coombe came to the university as an assistant chemistry professor in 1981, and rose through the ranks before becoming the school's top academic officer in 2001.