Timothy Flanagan resigned his post as president of Illinois State University, one of the state’s premiere teacher education institutions, as of this morning, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports.
Timothy Flanagan at Illinois State University (Credit: ISU)
He was appointed on May 10, 2013, and took office officially on Aug 1. Student affairs vice president Larry Dietz, a finalist in the 2013 search for a president, will take over immediately as president, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“I appreciate the experience of working with the students, faculty, staff and alumni of Illinois State, but, after discussion with the Board, I have decided it would be best that I pursue other opportunities,” Mr Flanagan was quoted as saying in a release.
The university’s board of trustees said they would have no comment on the matter beyond the release, but the resignation might have something to do with accusations against Mr Flanagan stemming from a Dec 5 altercation with a university employee in front of the presidential residence on the campus.
The employee, R Patrick Murphy, filed a complaint with the ISU Police Department alleging that Mr Flanagan had come outside of the residence and yelled obscenities, according to the Pantagraph. The ISU Police Department referred the matter to the McLean County state’s attorney for further review.