In a surprise announcement, University of Oregon (UO) President Michael Gottfredson has issued a letter of resignation to the school's Board of Trustees.

According to the Oregonian, Gottfredson resigned just two years after being hired, indicating that he felt he did the job he was hired to do. He helped form a governing board for UO and other Oregon colleges separate from the state's Board of Higher Education.

The state board hired him after the firing of the highly popular Richard Lariviere. The Oregonian reported that Gottfredson's departure looks more like he was asked to leave than if he resigned on his own volition.

For example, the announcement was sudden, he is not leaving to take another job and he said he wanted to spend more time with his family. The new board worked with the governor's office to gain the power to hire and fire university presidents just weeks before Gottfredson's resignation.

"When I accepted this position two years ago, I did so with the clear objective of helping the University manage though a period of uncertainty and get to a place of stability. With the assistance of talented campus leadership, we have accomplished that objective and I am confident that the UO is on the right course," he wrote in his letter. "With a new governance structure, new benchmarks for academic excellence, an expanding world-class faculty, and strategic planning underway, the UO is on track to enhanced status as a leading public institution for our nation. But my scholarly interests beckon and Karol and I would like to spend more time with our family, so I believe now is the right time to transition the leadership to a new president who can continue the legacy of this great University."

The UO Board of Directors released a statement praising Gottfredson for his efforts, which included conquering various challenges.

"When President Gottfredson accepted the position two years ago, he inherited a pending NCAA investigation, which was cleared, a statewide debate about the future of higher education governance, and a new faculty union without a labor contract," Chair Chuck Lillis wrote in the statement. "The challenges before him and the University were no small feat- but he successfully concluded the NCAA issue, worked and repaired relationships with the other University presidents, Governor and State Legislature to establish a new system of higher education governance for Oregon, including institutional boards, and negotiated a fair labor contract with the faculty union.

"Despite the competing challenges, President Gottfredson never lost sight of the mission of the University of Oregon and continued to push to move the UO toward even greater academic excellence."