The director of the University of Montana’s Curry Health Center will resign on July 1 after pleading guilty to driving under the influence per se back in March.

David Bell, who has been the center’s director since 2002, sent a statement to the campus community this week informing them of his decision. He will stay on at the Curry Health Center as a staff physician.

The Curry Health Center provides a number of student health services, including the Self Over Substance Program, which educates and motivates students to recognize and reduce risky behavior associated with heavy alcohol consumption and other drug use.

“In my subsequent conversations with (Vice President of Student Affairs) Dr. (Teresa) Branch I have reached the conclusion that this event has cast a shadow on my ability to effectively lead an organization that is, in part, responsible for educating students about the consequences of irresponsible alcohol consumption,” he wrote. “As much as I can say I ‘get it,’ it is understandable that some will not hear the message.”

In November 2011, law enforcement found Bell, 59, lying drunk in the driver’s seat of a running 1997 red Jeep Cherokee at 11 p.m. parked at Playfair Park. Bell’s blood alcohol content registered 0.131 during a breath sample, according to police records.