Update on November 9 at 6:19 p.m. ET
Criticism over how the University of Missouri handled a series of racist incidents on campus this fall has claimed the jobs of two top officials: President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin.
Hours after Wolfe announced he was stepping down, a news release from the UM System noted Loftin would stay in his position at the university’s main campus in Columbia until the end of the year.
Starting next January, Loftin will take over as director for research facility development, leading the school’s effort “to construct new facilities and renovate current facilities to meet the university’s research needs,” the statement said.
Hank Foley, MU’s senior vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, was appointed interim chancellor. The statement said an interim system president will be announced as soon as possible.
The Columbia Missourian adds:
Twenty months into his time as the leader of the university's flagship campus in Columbia, Loftin faced criticism for how he handled racism on campus, severed relations with Planned Parenthood, the loss of benefits for graduate students and the sudden resignation of the dean of the School of Medicine.
Last week the English Department made a vote of no confidence in Loftin's leadership. Today, nine deans signed a letter to the UM Board of Curators and to Wolfe saying Loftin had created a "toxic environment through threat, fear and intimidation," according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.
The two resignations capped a day of tumult at the University of Missouri, beginning with a walkout by faculty over the school administration’s handling of the events this fall.