UA President Ann Weaver Hart in March 9, 2015 interview.Updated 2 p.m. June 10, 2016
University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart announced Friday she will not seek extension of her current contract, which will expire in June 2018.
Hart made the announcement to the Arizona Board of Regents at its meeting in Flagstaff and shortly after sent an email to all university faculty and staff.
"I wanted you to know that I have decided not to request an extension of my current contract with the Board of Regents but to complete my tenure as president of the University of Arizona at the end of academic year 2018 and return to the full time faculty," Hart said in the email.
"The regents have been supportive and helpful in discussions with me about my wishes, and we are united in our enthusiasm about the future of the University of Arizona."
Hart, who was born in 1948, is the UA's first female president and has held the position since July 2012.
Campus leaders reacted with surprise and were quick to say that Hart's tenure has been good for the university.
"I was a little bit surprised, but on reflection, it's a decision that makes sense to me," said Lynn Nadel, chairman of the Faculty Senate and a professor of psychology.
"Fundamentally, I think the university is in a better place than it was when she came," Nadel said. "She deserves credit for a lot of positive things that have happened, and I just hope it can continue."
Ron Marx, dean of the College of Education, agreed, saying Hart made improvements in two important relationships for the campus.
"We had a very rough relationship with the Legislature and the regents before her arrival," Marx said. "I think she settled that down very nicely. She's very capable in that regard."
Hart's UA tenure has had controversy, first with a news media report last year that donors to the UA Foundation were not happy with her, including her decision to renovate the Old Main Building on campus and move her office there from the Administration Building.
A bigger controversy erupted earlier this year when it was revealed she had taken a seat on the board of DeVry Education Group, a private institution that has been under federal investigation on allegations of deceiving students about their career possibilities.
Faculty members and others criticized Hart for taking the DeVry board seat, for which she is paid $70,000 a year. Critics called it a conflict of interest with her main job as UA president.
Eventually 22 members of the Arizona Legislature called on Hart to resign her presidency. She has said several times in statements that she will retain both positions and saw no conflict.
Hart made no reference to the controversy Friday.
She said in her email she realized at the May 13 graduation ceremony "that I was presiding over my 14th commencement as a university president. I was filled with pride in the University of Arizona and in all that we have accomplished and will accomplish in the years ahead. Now is the time to plan for the future that we spoke about with such enthusiasm to our graduates."
She called her decision "a natural choice and one that all of us must make some time in our lives. I am excited for the years ahead working on behalf of this great university."
Before coming to the UA, Hart was president at Temple University in Philadelphia. She also is a former president of the University of New Hampshire.
The Board of Regents issued a statement Friday emphasizing "strong support for President Hart's decision and their commitment to the continued success of the University of Arizona."
The statement quoted Regents Chairman Jay Heiler as saying, “President Hart has conferred with me and others throughout the spring regarding her plans and her contract. The decision not to seek an extension is hers, and true to her character she has made it in full consideration of both her personal aspirations and her institutional commitments.”
The regents' statement said a nationwide search will be conducted for a successor to Hart.
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