Chancellor James Oblinger resigned from his position this morning according to a memo UNC System President Erskine Bowles sent to members of the UNC Board of Governors.
Oblinger said in a written statement released on the University’s Web site that he chose to resign “because that is what leaders do when the institutions they lead come under distracting and undue public scrutiny.”
He also said he hoped his resignation would serve as an example to Mary Easley.
“The only reason I am announcing my resignation is that I am applying to myself the same standards I have asked Mrs. Easley to apply to herself: I am doing it because it is in the best interests of N.C. State University,” Oblinger said in the statement.
UNC Charlotte Chancellor Emeritus Jim Woodward will serve as interim chancellor.
Erskine Bowles said he accepted the resignation with “sadness.”
“Jim Oblinger has shared with me his decision to resign as chancellor of North Carolina State University, effective immediately,” Bowles said in the June 8 memo. “I have accepted that decision with considerable sadness, but agree fully with Jim’s conclusion that it would be in the best interest of N.C. State and the entire University for him to step down as chancellor and return to the faculty.
In his memo, Bowles said that, pending approval, Oblinger will be granted a six-month leave at his current salary before returning to the faculty as a professor of food science.
Oblinger said he will not be making any further statements or be available for comment until after he has testified before the grand jury in response to the subpoena issued for documents surrounding the hiring of Easley.
Gov. Bev Perdue said in a statement Oblinger’s resignation will allow the University to refocus on education.
“Today’s announcements are the appropriate steps to enable the University to keep its eye on the prize – education, collaboration, discovery and leadership,” Perdue said in a statement. “Recent events have become a distraction from the core mission of N.C. State faculty, staff, and students.I’m confident in Chancellor Emeritus Woodward’s ability to lead the University on an interim basis and to maintain its focus on excellence in education and innovation.”
The Board of Trustees has called an emergency meeting for 2 p.m. this afternoon. UNC President Erskine Bowles and BOT Chairman Bob Jordan will hold a press conference immediately following the meeting.
Vice President for UNC Communications Joni Worthington said Bowles will not be available for comment until after the meeting.
