Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams who has announced he will leave after the upcoming academic year. PHOTO BY EMILY MOSELEY
Lexington, KY - Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams will step down after the 2013-2014 academic year, the chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, William T. Young Jr., announced on Monday.
“The Board of Trustees fully supports Dr. Williams’ decision to continue to lead Transylvania University through the upcoming school year,” Young said in a media release announcing Williams’ departure. “It is with regret that we accept his resignation.”
The search for the university’s next president will be initiated later this year, Young announced.
The resignation follows a 68-to-7 vote of no confidence taken against Williams by the university’s faculty in May. The university’s board of trustees then countered with its own unanimous vote of confidence in the president’s leadership shortly afterward.
Williams was hired as the university’s president in August of 2010, succeeding former president Charles Shearer who served in the role for 27-years.