Steve Young

sxyoung@argusleader.com

Dakota State University President David Borofsky abruptly resigned Wednesday, apparently in part over controversial leadership changes he oversaw at the Madison-based school.

In an email Wednesday to staff, Borofsky detailed successes the school has enjoyed in his two-plus years as its president. But Borofsky also acknowledged that changes made in leadership in various departments at the school this year had been "controversial and unpopular."

"That said," the president wrote in his email, "a change agent of an organization can almost never be the healer ... and DSU needs to heal. Therefore ... I announce my retirement from Dakota State University, effective today.

Borofsky had not returned requests for comment by late afternoon Wednesday. Erica Clements, associate director of public relations and marketing for DSU, confirmed that he did send out the email.

Jack Warner, executive director of the state Board of Regents, said the decision to resign was entirely Borofsky's.

"We did not force the president out; there was none of that," Warner said. "It was the president's decision to resign, and we accepted it."

The regents quickly moved to make Marysz Rames, vice president for student affairs at South Dakota State University in Brookings, interim president at DSU. She is expected to transition between Madison and Brookings for the next month before going full time at DSU.

Borofsky came under fire in late June when it was reported that Tom Halverson, dean of the College of Business and Information Systems at DSU, and associate dean Wayne Pauli had stepped down to pursue full-time teaching.

At least 34 DSU students and alumni signed a letter to Borofsky and the Board of Regents disputing that characterization, saying they believed the two men were forced out. They were also upset that Borofsky would not explain his reasoning for the changes.

Warner said he believes Borofsky eventually realized "that some of the changes he has made became controversial and might compromise his ability to lead further, so he came to this conclusion (to retire) rather quickly."

While the university is thankful for Borofsky's stewardship, including a dramatic increase in gifts to school's foundation and the addition of master's and doctoral programs, Clements said she thinks the president's decision acknowledges the changes that have taken place.

"I think it's an accumulation of a lot of things," Clements said of Wednesday's announcement. "It's not just the changes you've talked about. There have been other leadership changes, and we've had a lot of new leaders. Whether that's controversial or not, there have been a lot of things that have gone on, things that happened, and sometimes you just need new leadership to step in and bring the university farther."

Borofsky came to Madison in February 2012 as interim president when Doug Knowlton left to take another higher education position in Minnesota.

Though the regents initially said he would not be a candidate for the permanent president position, Borofsky in fact ascended to that role in October 2012.

Warner said the decision to make Borofsky the permanent president only occurred because of such widespread campus and community support to do so. That scenario will not play out with Rames, who is expected to return to the SDSU campus when a presidential search committee has found Borofsky's successor, Warner insisted.

"We're committed to a full national search on this position," he said, adding unlike the decision the regents made with Borofsky, "that will not happen in this case."