Kenneth Starr to leave Pepperdine to become president of Baylor University

Starr has headed the Malibu law school since 2004. During his West Coast tenure, he also represented the supporters of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, during a challenge before the California Supreme Court last year. Starr won the high-profile case, with the state high court upholding the voter initiative's legality in a May ruling.

Starr came to prominence -- and controversy -- when as independent counsel he investigated Clinton over his affair with White House intern Lewinsky. The Starr report alleged Clinton had lied in sworn testimony about his relationship with the intern, leading to his December 1998 impeachment by the House of Representatives. Two months later, the Senate failed to muster a two-thirds majority to convict Clinton of perjury, obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office.

Starr's decision to move was prompted by a desire to move back to his home state, Starr said.

"I adore Pepperdine and continue to love being in service at Pepperdine, but Texas is my home state," he said of his decision to relocate to the Big 12 conference school.