Dianne Lynch was named as the 24th president at Stephens. Lynch, who has served as dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca since 2004, will officially take office on June 2. She also formerly was a faculty member and chair of the Department of Journalism at Saint Michael’s College. Lynch replaces Wendy B. Libby, who will become the first female president of Stetson in July.

Other transactions

Chancellors and presidents – Larry H. Linamen was appointed as the 11th president at Greenville, effective, July 1. Linamen, currently the executive vice president of Crichton College, succeeds retired president V. James Mannoia and interim president Edwin Blue … Idaho selected M. Duane Nellis as the university’s 17th president. He will begin July 1. Since 2004, Nellis has been provost and senior vice president at Kansas State and he previously served as dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia.

Director of athletics – Mark McHorney, an assistant basketball coach at Benedictine (Illinois) since 2005, was elevated to director of athletics.

Assistant directors of athletics – Benedictine (Illinois) promoted head men’s basketball coach Keith Bunkenburg, head softball coach Katie Keller and assistant baseball coach Dave Swanson to assistant directors of athletics. Their duties will include recruiting, compliance, scheduling and day-to-day game operations. The university also elevated John Morris, formerly of the university’s development staff, to assistant director of athletics. He will be responsible for the university’s Eagle Club, a newly-founded athletics “booster” organization, athletics fund-raising and capital improvement projects.

Coaches

Women’s basketball – Central Michigan head coach Sue Guevara signed a new five-year contract through the 2013-14 season. Guevara has been in charge of the program since 2007 and led the Chippewas to the third-biggest turnaround in Mid-American Conference history, a 10.5 game improvement from her first season to last year’s 18-14 mark.

Softball – Lafayette head coach Jeanine Gunther resigned. Gunther, the 2006 Patriot League Coach of the Year, capped her fourth season as head coach by guiding Lafayette to its second-straight appearance in the Patriot League championship series.

Conferences

The West Coast hired David Libbey as coordinator of men’s basketball officials. Libbey, who retired from collegiate basketball officiating after the 2008-09 season, was an NCAA Division I official for 30 years.