Embattled President of William and Mary Resigns

by E Wayne Ross on February 12, 2008

The Chronicle News Blog: Embattled President of William and Mary Resigns

Gene R. Nichol, president of the College of William and Mary, announced today his resignation, effective immediately. He was told last weekend that his contract, which expires on June 30, would not be renewed.

In a remarkably blunt letter to the campus, the controversial president said he had been forced out because of stands he took to defend diversity and academic freedom. He also said the college’s Board of Visitors offered him and his wife money to go quietly. The board rebutted some of his assertions in a written statement, which said the contract decision “was not in any way based on ideology or any single public controversy.”