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Simon P. Newman resigned on Monday evening as president of Mount St. Mary’s University, capping a weeks-long furor over a controversial freshman-retention plan that focused national attention on the Roman Catholic college in rural Maryland.
Mr. Newman, a former private-equity chief executive, incited a backlash by using a clumsy “drown the bunnies” analogy in reference to at-risk students. His comments, which first emerged in the college’s student newspaper, quickly drew harsh criticism both on and off the campus. The controversy ballooned when Mr. Newman fired two faculty members, one of whom had tenure, and demoted the university’s provost, who had challenged him. His actions attracted widespread condemnation from faculty advocates and others in higher education, and last week the university’s accreditor raised questions about the situation on the campus.
The university offered to reinstate the two professors who had been fired, but the controversy lingered, and Mr. Newman initially rejected the faculty’s demand, expressed in an overwhelming vote, to step down from the presidency. After professors demanded that he resign, the university’s student government released the results of a poll that showed widespread student support for Mr. Newman’s leadership.
Two weeks ago, the board apologized for “a breakdown in compassionate communication” and announced a review of the controversy.
The university said in a written statement on Monday evening that Mr. Newman’s resignation was effective immediately.
“The board is grateful to President Newman for his many accomplishments over the past year, including strengthening the university’s finances, developing a comprehensive strategic plan for our future, and bringing many new ideas to campus that have benefited the entire Mount community,” said John E. Coyne III, the board’s chairman. “We thank him for his service.”
In a separate statement, Mr. Newman said: “I am proud of what I have been able to achieve in a relatively short time, particularly in helping the university chart a clear course toward a bright future. I care deeply about the school, and the recent publicity relating to my leadership has become too great of a distraction to our mission of educating students. It was a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right course of action for the Mount at this time.”