Collin College President Cary Israel announced his resignation Sept. 24 after 16 years as the community college district's leader.

He plans to remain in his position until the beginning of next year.

Israel said his main reasons for stepping down are to spend more time with his family and take his first vacation in two years.

"The nature of a presidency is very complex, it's very time demanding, it's rewarding and exciting," he said. "But if you're doing the job right, you're spending 60 to 70 hours a week and who suffers a little bit is your family. This is a particular time for me that I need to be a little more attentive to my family."

The Collin College Board of Trustees will conduct a national search for the next president, board chairman Mac Hendricks said. The board has not yet named an interim president to take over after Israel leaves.

Israel is the second-longest serving president in the college's history. During his tenure, enrollment has grown to about 52,000 students and the facilities have expanded by nearly a million square feet.

The community college district has received numerous awards and grants, but Israel said his greatest contribution to the college has been defining its new mission and core values.

"I really believe language and aspirational values or goals, high expectations are critically important in moving an organization forward if everyone, or at least a majority of people, embrace it," he said. "Our mission changed, and we really simplified it to a couple of sentences saying that we are 'student- and community-centered.'"

Israel has also been an advocate for allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. Israel said he will be working with local legislators in the coming months to draft a bill for community college baccalaureate degrees. Several Collin College programs, including the nursing program, are in the plans to one day offer a bachelor's degree, he said.

Israel said he will be available to help Collin College administrators during the upcoming 2015 Texas Legislative Session.

In his last few months, Israel said he will be drafting the legislative proposal for the college and working through the college's reaccreditation process.

Israel said Collin College students and administrators will have high expectations for the next president.

"I know and I expect that the next president will absolutely take this college to the next level and accomplish things that I couldn't accomplish," he said.

Hendricks said the college has been fortunate to have Israel as its president for almost two decades.

"I hope that we can clone him," he said. "That would be the best thing. He's done a lot."

Israel does not plan to take on another college presidency, but said he hopes to find something he can be just as passionate about.

He said he is not ready to make a farewell statement, but he knows he will miss Collin College students.

"I'm going to miss their energy, and I'm going to miss their profound thinking, their innovation," he said. "They make me laugh and keep me on my toes. So, I am going to miss that. I'm going to miss the students and the involvement with the students."