Elson Floyd, president of Washington State University, dies at 59 of complications from cancer

PULLMAN, Wash. – The president of Washington State University, Elson Floyd, has died at 59.

A spokeswoman for the school, Kathy Barnard, says Floyd died Saturday morning at Pullman Regional Hospital of complications from colon cancer.

Floyd went on medical leave earlier this month, and Executive Vice President Dan Bernardo assumed the day-to-day duties of president.

Floyd had been president of the university since 2007 and had most recently pushed to create a medical school at WSU's Spokane campus.