Nolan Karras will remain the chairman of the State Board of Regents, which oversees the state's public higher education system.

Regents made the unanimous decision Thursday to re-elect Karras, who lost his bid to run for governor. George Mantes was also voted in for another term as vice chairman.

It will be Karras' second two-year term as chairman. He is credited with opening up the search process for university and college presidents.

Karras said Thursday that, while on the campaign trail earlier this year, he learned there is a "huge disconnect" between what the state needs and where it is going in the area of higher education.

As the state braces for what Karras predicts will be a slow economy over the next five to 10 years, he said it will be important for regents to educate the "decision makers," such as chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs and Kiwanis groups, about the needs of higher education.