Harvard dean Evelynn Hammonds has stepped down after a months-long investigation into a secret email controversy, CNN reported.

Hammonds conducted a search of faculty emails to determine who leaked information about an earlier cheating scandal. She came under fire after what the Harvard Crimson called a breach of trust.


The email scandal was "not a motivating factor" in Hammonds' resignation, she said.

"I have been in discussions to return to academia and my research for some time," Hammonds said.

The school has since apologized for its handling of Hammonds' actions.

The search was limited to administrative accounts, and the emails were not opened. Administrators called Hammonds' actions an error in understanding privacy concerns rather than an intentional breach of privacy. The deans involved were not notified their emails would be searched.

Earlier this year, more than 100 Harvard undergraduates were investigated for cheating on a take-home open-book exam. More than half of the students were forced to withdraw for some time, and others faced disciplinary action on campus.

Hammonds reportedly searched the deans' emails to determine who leaked the cheating scandal to news media.