Mount St. Mary's University says its president has resigned amid a furor that arose after he likened struggling freshmen to bunnies that should be drowned.
Board of Trustees Chairman John Coyne announced Simon Newman's departure from the Catholic college in Emmitsburg, Maryland, effective immediately Monday night.
Coyne said in a statement that Karl Einolf, dean of the university's business school, has been named acting president.
Newman was in his first year as president. The former financial industry executive was widely scorned by academic leaders after the student newspaper reported his comments in a story about a student-retention plan.
The aftermath included the firing and reinstatement of two faculty members and a faculty demand for Newman's resignation.
