BOSTON (AP) – Lou Ureneck, former deputy managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, has been picked to head Boston University’s economics and journalism program, the university announced Monday.

Ureneck takes over direction of the program from Andrew Leckey, a syndicated investment columnist for the Chicago Tribune who launched the program last year.

Ureneck joined the Inquirer in 1997 after 22 years at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram.

“The recruitment of a distinguished journalist like Lou Ureneck is indicative of the importance the Department of Journalism attaches to giving students the opportunity to learn how to cover the world of business and our complex economy,” said Robert Zelnick, chairman of the journalism department.