Miami University president to step down

Miami University President David Hodge will step down next year, according to an email he sent faculty and staff obtained by The Enquirer.

Hodge made the announcement to leave the university in June 2016 at the university's trustee meeting Friday.

"I made this announcement today so that there will be ample time to seek the next president for Miami," Hodge said in the email. "In the meantime, we will move forward with the same energy and drive until the transition takes place."

He took the job in 2006.

Read Hodge's full email announcement to faculty and staff:

Dear Colleagues,

Earlier today at the Board of Trustees meeting I formally announced my plans to step down as Miami's president at the end of June, 2016, completing ten years of service to the University.

It seems impossible that Valerie and I have been here that long, but we are even more enthusiastic about Miami now than we were with the warm welcome we received when we first visited our campuses. We were drawn then to the extraordinary commitment to student success, to the personal relationships that create such a strong sense of community, to the shared aspirations to achieve the highest goals, and to an energetic student body. Our appreciation of these qualities has only deepened over the years.

I made this announcement today so that there will be ample time to seek the next president for Miami. In the meantime, we will move forward with the same energy and drive until the transition takes place. In Miami 2020, we have a common vision and momentum that frame and encourage our collective efforts. And in this coming year we will have the additional impetus of our focus on creativity and innovation.

Valerie and I look forward to all these efforts over the coming year and to the honor of working with you to continue to strengthen our university and its impact on those we serve.