Former independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr has been named the president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Starr is best known as the man who investigated former President Bill Clinton's Whitewater land deal and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

R. Dary Stone, head of the board of regents at Baylor, said Starr's Christian values and professional experience make him an ideal choice to lead the world's largest Baptist university.

Most recently, Starr has been dean of the law school at Pepperdine University in California.

"While I look forward to the honor of serving as Baylor's next president, my wife Alice and I know how much we will miss Pepperdine," Starr said in a statement released Monday by Pepperdine.

"Working with Pepperdine students, faculty, and the law school's alumni has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of our lives," he said.

Starr replaces John Lilley who was fired as Baylor's president in 2008.