Utah State University President George H. Emert announced his retirement Wednesday, stepping down after eight years at the post.
"The university has a great and vital future that will benefit from a change in leadership to bring new perspectives and new energy to the job," he said in a press release.
Emert, 61, was en route to Alabama Wednesday to care for his ailing father and was not available for comment.
He sent a letter of resignation to Utah State Board of Regents Chairman Charles E. Johnson Monday. He is asking the board for a one-year transitional sabbatical after he leaves the position Dec. 31.
"George has said his plans are undecided at this point," Johnson told the Deseret News. "That's why he wants a period of time in which to make a decision."
USU spokesman John DeVilbiss said there has been no announcement of an interim president, and the process for finding Emert's replacement won't begin for several months.
But there is much upheaval among top administrators at USU. Provost Jay Gogue is a candidate for president of New Mexico State University, and Pat Terrell, vice president for student services, may also be leaving USU.
Emert himself was courted by the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M a year ago.
"In both cases, those two institutions contacted him. He didn't contact them," Johnson said. "I think that's just a sign of a president that has a national reputation. People just seek his leadership."
Emert weathered clashes with faculty early in his tenure over the university's conversion to the semester system.
Kent Robson, a professor of languages and philosophy, said he was not surprised to hear the news of Emert's retirement.
"I had the impression that perhaps there were some things happening that may result in this," he said. "My guess is that he was not always efficient in working with (people)."
Five major upper management changes at USU's Research Foundation in four years left some wondering about Emert's leadership ability.
Emert's hired, then fired Chief Executive Officer David Norton, co-founder of Iomega. He then reversed that decision.
"I think he weathered it well, as you know, when he saw that the decision (to fire Norton) had been hastily made, he reversed that decision and put it back together," said Johnson. "That's actually a sign of leadership, when you see there's been a mistake and you can correct it."
Emert saw USU through recordbreaking enrollment growth, endowment funding and scholarship funding as well as the new construction and renovation of dozens of campus buildings.
Trustee Barre G. Burgon was "shocked" that Emert's tenure was coming to a close.
"Looking at what he's done for the university as far as research, grants, scholarship money, programs, buildings. . . the school has really progressed under his leadership," he said.
As for the upheaval in the management of the Research Foundation, which oversees the world-renowned Space Dynamic Laboratory and provides more than 300 jobs in Cache Valley, Burgon says it shouldn't overshadow Emert's many accomplishments.
"I think there were some things that were done maybe inappropriately there, but I'm not sure they were (Emert's) fault," he said. "In the end it turned out fine. . . Anybody in an executive position is going to take the blame when things go wrong."
But Robson said Emert, while a good ambassador for USU and an effective representative to lawmakers, was not as well-liked among faculty and fellow administrators.
"He's usually well-spoken and straightforward... but he can also be very outspoken sometimes . . . and has been for the entire eight years he's been here," Robson said.
You can reach Maria Titze by e-mail at mtitze@desnews.com