East Carolina University Chancellor Announces Resignation

The chancellor of East Carolina University has announced plans to resign after about three years on the job. 

The University of North Carolina system issued a news release Monday saying that Chancellor Cecil P. Staton will step down effective May 3. Staton will remain in an advisory capacity until the end of June.

The university system did not give a reason for his resignation.  

Staton was hired at ECU in April of 2016 after serving as a faculty member and administrator for universities in Georgia.

His tenure at ECU was not without controversy. The News and Observer reports that Staton was criticized for the ECU Foundation's purchase of a $1.3 million chancellor's house, as well as for instituting a new branding campaign.

But many supported Staton's leadership. In January, dozens of ECU backers signed a letter calling on UNC officials to release a recent performance evaluation as proof of a job well done.