Following the resignation of a professor found responsible of sexual harassment, University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano pointed out the system has an "urgent need" to review the policies related to the case.

Concluding a six-month investigation, UC-Berkeley determined its famed astronomer, Geoffrey Marcy sexually harassed multiple students dating back more than a decade. Shortly following his resignation, Napolitano issued a letter to UC officials calling for a review to determine if the school system is too lenient on tenured professors, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"The recent internal investigation that substantiated charges against a tenured Berkeley faculty member for repeatedly sexually harassing students has highlighted the urgent need to review University policies that may have inadvertently made the investigation and resolution of this case more difficult," Napolitano wrote in a letter to UC's regents and chancellors.

Nicholas Dirks, UC-Berkeley's chancellor, confirmed in a public release on Wednesday that Marcy resigned, effectively immediately, and deemed the action "entirely appropriate."

"Before describing the disciplinary options that were available to us, we want to state unequivocally that Professor Marcy's conduct, as determined by the investigation, was contemptible and inexcusable. We also want to express our sympathy to the women who were victimized, and we deeply regret the pain they have suffered," Dirks said in the release. "It is important to understand that as Berkeley's leadership considered disciplinary options, we did not have the authority, as per University of California policy, to unilaterally impose any disciplinary sanctions, including termination. Discipline of a faculty member is a lengthy and uncertain process."

According to BuzzFeed News, Marcy was found responsible of sexual harassment from 2001 to 2010. Four women who remained anonymous described instances where Marcy kissed, groped, or massaged them without their consent. With the conclusion of the investigation, Marcy reportedly received a reprimand and a warning.

David Charbonneau, a professor of astronomy at Harvard University, told BuzzFeed News the case could have a wide-ranging effect even away from the UC system.

"Geoff Marcy is undeniably the most prominent exoplanet researcher in the U.S.," he said. "The stakes here couldn't be higher. We are working so hard to have gender parity in this field, and when the most prominent person is a routine harasser, it threatens a major objective nationally."