UNIVERSITY PARK — Bill Mahon, Penn State's vice president for university relations, will step down from his post later this year to accept a teaching position in the College of Communications.

Mahon has worked in the Office of University Relations for the past 28 years.

He will take the faculty role in the spring.

"After almost three decades at Penn State and 10 years before that in the newspaper business, I plan to share my experiences with students preparing to enter journalism and public relations," Mahon said in a statement. "Penn State's College of Communications is by any measure one of the best in the nation. It's an honor to join the distinguished group of faculty who are teaching and conducting research there."

Mahon came to Penn State in 1984, first as an assistant manager, and then as director of public information.

In 2001, he was named assistant vice president for university relations.

Six years later, was appointed vice president.

"We are delighted that Bill will be joining our faculty," Douglas Anderson, dean of the College of Communications, said. "His decades of experience in public relations and journalism prepare him perfectly to teach several of our courses. Bill's experience with and expertise in new media also will be a big bonus for our program and students."