Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported when the new Schieffer School director will begin his or her tenure. It has since been corrected.

 TCU’s Schieffer School of Journalism has begun its search for a new director, according to university administrators and a job listing posted on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s website Wednesday.

John Lumpkin, the current director, sent an email to students on Friday saying he will be retiring when his contract expires in the spring of 2014. A new director is expected to be chosen in November, according to university administrators.

He said his plans to leave the school around this time have always been in place.

“When I moved from a long career as an [Associated Press] executive to the Schieffer School in 2009, a departure in this time frame was envisioned,” he said.

Before coming to TCU, Lumpkin was the AP vice president for newspaper markets in the U.S. and Latin America, according to the Schieffer School website.

The university has hired a search firm and created a 12-member search committee made up of faculty and students. Chip Stewart, a Schieffer School instructor and associate dean of the College of Communication, is chairing the committee.

The next Schieffer School director must be someone with recent experience in news or strategic communication with strong ties to their industry, Stewart said. Administrative experience in academia is also strongly preferred.

The university is seeking someone who is a “’dynamic leader,” university provost Nowell Donovan said.

Applications are due by Sept. 15 and the committee plans to narrow the candidate pool down to 10 people by October, said Stewart.

“They’ll do airport interviews—a brief interview where we can get a face-to-face with them, get a good sense of who they are, that sort of thing. From that bunch, the pool will get down to two or three people,” Stewart said.

The new director would start the job on June 1, 2014, Stewart said.