The University of Akron's Board of Trustees announced Tuesday morning that President Scott Scarborough will step down immediately as part of a mutual agreement.
Scarborough had taken heat for budget cuts and layoffs over the past year. In addition, several campus protests called for his firing and the faculty senate gave him a "no confidence" vote.
The board and Scarborough decided that new leadership was needed for the university to move forward, according to a news release by the board.
"As we looked at the environment we have today and the challenges that are in front of us, we determined that the best path forward-- the one that gave us the best chance for success-- was to have a change in leadership," said Jonathan Pavloff, the board's chair.
John Zipp, the faculty union president, felt Scarborough was unpopular because he didn't allow faculty members to have "a meaningful voice" in important decisions.
Zipp also said there appeared to be a contradiction when it came to the budget.
"You have people that are laid off and then we enter into new initiatives. We lay off academic advisors and then we hire Trust Navigator. We cut baseball and then we essentially give the same amount to football," Zipp said.
An interim president is to be named in the near future. Until that time, interim Senior Vice President and Provost Rex Ramsier will handle the president's duties.
Scarborough now has the option to accept a $450,000 buyout equal to one year's salary or accept a five-year teaching position in the College of Business.
Scarborough confirmed the decision and expressed his gratitude to the board for letting him serve and said he is looking forward to the next chapter in his life.
Thank you to all who have supported us. I hope the entire UA community comes together to advance this great institution. #uakron.
— Scott Scarborough (@PresScarborough) May 31, 2016
