University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins is resigning after his term ends in 2026.

But the embattled UA leader noted that if the Arizona Board of Regents were to select a new president sooner than the end of his term in June 2026, he will โ€œensure a smooth transition to my successor and step aside earlier.โ€

โ€œAfter significant consideration and personal contemplation, I informed the Arizona Board of Regents that I will step down as President of the University of Arizona after fulfilling the terms of my current contract,โ€ he wrote in an email to students and employees on Tuesday morning.

ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata, in a statement released just after Robbinsโ€™ announcement, said the board plans to commence a national search for the next UA president, which will โ€œmove forward with expediency.โ€

โ€œThe board is deeply appreciative of President Robbinsโ€™ exceptional dedication to the mission and values of the University of Arizona,โ€ Mata said in her statement.

Robbins, who has served as president of the university since 2017, has been under fire over the last six months because of the universityโ€™s $177 million deficit. He was scheduled to appear at a monthly Faculty Senate meeting on Monday but instead sent Senior Vice President and Secretary of the University Jon Dudas in his place.

โ€œThe past 18 months certainly have been difficult for our university, but I am confident that our passion and commitment for doing what is right, as well as our thorough and thoughtful analysis to address our ongoing challenges, will bring our institution greater stability in short order,โ€ Robbins wrote in his Tuesday email.

In a statement to the Arizona Daily Star, Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has criticized Robbins multiple times in the past few months, including late last week, said she looked forward to โ€œcontinued work to address the University of Arizonaโ€™s finances and restore the publicโ€™s trust in one of our stateโ€™s most important public institutions.โ€

She added that โ€œfrom day one I have been laser-focused on addressing fiscal mismanagement and ensuring there is proper oversight and accountability from ABOR to protect our public universities.โ€

Associated Students of the University of Arizona President Alyssa Sanchez told the Star she found it โ€œunacceptableโ€ that ABOR is โ€œallowing (Robbins) to fulfill his contract.โ€

โ€œA lot of staff and students have and will continue to be impacted because of the financial disaster that occurred during his presidency,โ€ Sanchez said.

Jeremy Bernick, graduate and professional student council president, echoed Sanchezโ€™s sentiments in a statement to the Star.

โ€œI urge ABOR to open the opaque and shadowy process of a presidential search to representative students, staff and faculty on the UA campus,โ€ Bernick said.

Jim Click, a businessman and philanthropist who has expressed support for Robbins, told the Star he would give the outgoing president an โ€œA or A+โ€ for his service.

โ€œI helped recruit him to the job,โ€ Click said. โ€œIโ€™m glad he came to the UA, and I really truly believe he left it better than when he found it. I mean, a lot better.โ€

Click said Robbins called him on Monday, the day before his formal announcement, to share the news about his impending resignation. Click added he doesnโ€™t think heโ€™ll be involved in recruiting the next UA president to campus and stated he doesnโ€™t think Robbins is going to fully retire.

โ€œHeโ€™s not done trying to contribute in some way, whether itโ€™s medical or at another school,โ€ Click said of next steps for Robbins, who was previously president and CEO of Texas Medical Center in Houston and cardiothoracic surgery chair at Stanford University.

โ€œI hope he lands a great job at a great university if thatโ€™s what he wants to do. I would highly recommend him to anybody,โ€ Click said.

At Mondayโ€™s Faculty Senate meeting, Chair Leila Hudson stated that her โ€œprimary concernโ€ was to be โ€œpart of an orderly unwinding of President Robbinsโ€™ presidency.โ€

Faculty Senate Chair Leila Hudson

She told the Faculty Senate that despite repeated requests she received for a formal vote of no confidence in Robbins, she wanted to make sure he had โ€œa chance to defend himself.โ€

Robbinsโ€™ predecessor, Ann Weaver Hart, said in June 2016 she would resign by the end of her contract in June 2018. Robbins was named president in March 2017, which suggests that, if history repeats itself, the new presidential search could be completed prior to the end of Robbinsโ€™ term.

โ€œIt is time to begin to think about what is next for the university, and I will continue to serve the institution and work with ABOR to ensure a smooth transition at the appropriate time,โ€ Robbins wrote Tuesday.

Earlier this month the regents approved a 10% cut in Robbinsโ€™ base salary, from $816,008 to $734,407, which he requested to aid with the universityโ€™s financial action plan amid the deficit.

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Reporter Ellie Wolfe covers higher education for the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com. Contact: ewolfe@tucson.com.