HARTFORD, Conn. ― The president of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education announced Friday that he will resign effective Dec. 31, ending a rocky two-year tenure overseeing the state college and university system.
Gregory Gray submitted a brief resignation letter to the Board of Regents’ president, Nicholas Donofrio. In the letter and an email to The Associated Press, Gray did not elaborate on his reasons for leaving.
“This decision was purely a personal one, arrived at after a number of months of consideration and discussion with my family,” Gray said in a statement. “There is still much more to be done for the (Connecticut State Colleges & Universities) system and its students. However, I will leave believing that we have accomplished a great deal for our students and for the state, and laid a solid foundation for the future.”
Gray said his plans include moving to Fort Myers, Florida, and playing golf.
The Board of Regents oversees the four Connecticut State University campuses, the state’s 12 community colleges and Charter Oak State College.
Faculty members at many of the system’s campuses have voted no confidence in Gray. Professors and students complained about being shut out of decision-making and voiced opposition to the Transform CSCU 2020 improvement plan for the university and college system.
Despite the criticism, Board of Regents members stood behind Gray. Donofrio said Friday that it was Gray’s decision to resign, suggesting the board wasn’t forcing him out.
“Speaking for the Board, I am grateful for the vision and the passion he brought to CSCU,” Donofrio said. “We will miss his deep commitment to higher education in Connecticut, and to his steadfast pursuit of accessibility and affordability.”
The Board of Regents is planning a meeting in the near future to discuss Gray’s resignation and plans for a transition to new leadership.
Gray’s predecessor, Robert Kennedy, resigned in 2012 after awarding $250,000 in pay raises to employees without the board’s knowledge.
