School of Law Dean Ronald Cass will step down at the end of the year to "explore new scholarly and other professional projects," he announced in a letter to the LAW community Friday, after a semester of questions about how the school accounted for fundraising pledges.
Cass' is the 14th high-level resignation at Boston University in the past two years.
Cass said in an interview Friday afternoon that the fundraising issues are not why he decided to step down, saying it was simply time to go after 14 years at the helm.
"I've been dean for 14 years and we've accomplished an enormous amount here at the school in that time," he said. "All of these things come after reflection, and at the end of the day, you get to a point where you know what you want to do."
In the letter, Cass defended the school's fundraising policies and said the school is changing its practices to reflect those of the university's central Office of Development. But, he said, "all funds received are fully accounted for and every dollar received for our building and other capital funds is secure."
Cass said the school has risen in national rankings under his tenure, something for which several faculty members credited him. President ad interim Aram Chobanian said in a press release that Cass has done an "exemplary job advancing the law school and its mission."
University officials will likely appoint an interim dean in the next few months and start a national search for a permanent replacement shortly thereafter, Cass said. Chobanian will ultimately decide whether Cass will be involved in the search, Cass said.
Chobanian could not be reached immediately for further comment Friday afternoon.
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