Manhattan — Less than a year after taking over as Kansas State's athletics director, Bob Krause announced Tuesday that he is leaving that job to direct fundraising for a new K-State campus in Olathe.

Krause's resignation is effective March 31. He took the job as athletics director in April 2008 after serving as the university's vice president for institutional advancement. He has been with Kansas State for 23 years.

University President Jon Wefald says deputy athletics director Jim Epps will serve as interim athletics director until a replacement is selected. Wefald, who is retiring after the current academic year, added that the new A.D. will be chosen by the school's next president.

"For almost a year now, I have worked with the athletics department since this has been a high priority for the university as it makes a transition of leadership in the president's office," Krause said in a written statement released by the university. "I believe the department is in very good shape."

In his new position as director of development for Kansas State's Olathe Innovation Campus, Krause will lead fundraising efforts for the suburban Kansas City facility, which has been in the works for about a decade.

"Over the last 10 years we have worked hard to establish a campus in the Kansas City area related to developing food safety and security as the university's top academic and research priority," Krause said.

He said that although funding is in place for the first building on the new campus, more money is needed to pay for the rest of the project.

"I enthusiastically look forward to this new assignment," he said.

Since joining the Kansas State staff in 1986 as director of student affairs, Krause has worn many hats and been closely associated with athletics.

Among the most noteworthy events of Krause's one-year tenure were the firing of football coach Ron Prince three months after giving him a five-year contract extension, and the hiring of popular former Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who was responsible for turning the football program around after taking over in the late 1980s.