Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), announced she will step down next June, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Zimpher, who has served as chancellor for the last seven years, has been lauded for bringing stability to the public college, especially amid the financial crisis.
The SUNY system is made up of 64 campuses across the state and serves 465,000 students and about one million adult education students. It's the largest university system in the US.
Under Zimpher, the school kept tuition costs low, increasing only $300 a year for the past few years, according to The Journal. For the most recent school year, in-state tuition was $6,470.
Still, she faced pushback about the university's budget, most prominently from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, for high administrative pay.
She defended the salaries paid to administrators at the school and argued they were necessary to retain top talent.
“World-class institutions of higher education must compensate administrative leaders, clinicians, and researchers at a level that reflects their market value nationally,” she said in February, according to Politico.
Zimpher herself is one of the highest paid public officials in New York, according to The Journal, She receives $504,700 in salary, $96,000 for housing, and $55,000 in deferred compensation.
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