Outgoing president of the University of New Mexico Bob Frank has withdrawn from Ohio University’s presidential search.
The Athens News in Ohio reported Thursday that Frank sent an email to the university announcing his decision, and Frank confirmed that action with the Journal.
He was one of two remaining candidates to lead the college of about 18,000 undergraduates in Athens, Ohio.
“I withdrew because I recognized it was not an ideal fit for me or OU,” Frank told the Journal in a statement. “I have begun to build the new Center for Health and Education Innovation (program at UNM’s Health Sciences Center) and I see many great opportunities for it.”
Frank is currently on sabbatical following a lengthy conflict with the Board of Regents.
At one point, Frank had threatened to sue the regents and the university in connection to what his attorney called “defamatory” reports leaked to news media. His contract expires at the end of May, and he is set to take a tenured faculty position at the UNM Health Sciences Center at a salary of $190,000.
Frank was one of four people named as finalists in the Ohio University’s presidential search earlier this month.
Chaouki Abdallah, who was the provost under Frank, is currently serving as UNM’s acting president. Meanwhile, the Board of Regents is in the middle of a national search to find a new president.
