William Campbell, who has served two five-year terms as dean, said he wants to concentrate on working with students. "I felt another five years would be too much," he said.
"I think all people start in an academic career because they enjoy teaching. I look forward to spending more time with students -- not just teaching, but being a mentor to younger students."
Kevin Almond, associate dean in the pharmacy school, said representatives from the school will meet with Provost Robert Shelton today to formulate a formal search process to find a replacement for the dean position.
But Campbell will remain as the director of the University's Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics. He is working on a grant renewal to consistently fund the center's research for five years.
Campbell has quintupled the assets of the school and research money has increased every year he has been at the school, Almond said.
But Almond said he thinks Campbell will appreciate teaching and research more than being dean.
"Like any CEO of a business company, you say 'What else can I do?', and sometimes you let someone else take the reins," Almond said.
The search for a new dean will typically take about a year, which was the time it took to find Campbell, Almond said.
The search will be conducted like the search for any other high-level administrator, such as the search committees for the chancellor and provost positions that were formed in the last few years.
