IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – University of Iowa President Sally Mason says she plans to retire after leading the school since 2007.  Mason announced Thursday that she will step down Aug. 1 after managing a devastating flood, major budget challenges and numerous controversies.

The 64-year-old biology professor came to Iowa City from Purdue University, where she had been provost. Almost immediately, she was thrown into managing one problem after another, many caused by events outside her control. A historic June 2008 flood came to symbolize her tenure, when heavy rains caused the Iowa River to overflow its banks and damage and destroy numerous buildings.

Mason worked to keep the university open and spent the following years overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars of rebuilding projects.