U. of Texas Chancellor Will Step Down After Only 3 Years

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William H. McRaven, the military commander who planned the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, will step down after just three years leading the University of Texas system. The Houston Chronicle quoted Mr. McRaven as saying that health concerns had motivated his decision.

“I’ve been dealing with some health issues,” he said. “They are not serious, but they have caused me to rethink my future. As I enter the fourth quarter of my life there’s still a lot of things I want to do. I want to teach, I want to write. I want to do some traveling. As hackneyed as it sounds when someone is stepping down, I want to spend more time with my family.”

Mr. McRaven said publicly in 2015 that he had received a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Mr. McRaven’s future at the helm of the system appeared to be in doubt earlier this year, after he did not ask the Board of Regents to extend his contract, nor did the board move to do so on its own. When asked in June whether he wanted to stay in his post, Mr. McRaven said it would depend on whether the board was satisfied with his leadership. “I have got to find out if the board wants me to stay,” he said at the time.

The former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command was a nontraditional pick to lead the 14-campus system. He succeeded Francisco G. Cigarroa, who had led the system for five years.

Andy Thomason oversees breaking-news coverage. Send him a tip at andy.thomason@chronicle.com. And follow him on Twitter @arthomason.