College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Sacha Kopp announced that he will leave his position on July 1 in an email sent out to faculty Monday morning.
Kopp did not provide a reason for his resignation in the email, and the university did not respond to requests for comment before the time of publication.
The dean’s tenure has been marked by program and personnel cuts as the university struggles to balance its budget. Kopp acknowledged the CAS’ budgetary concerns in his email.
“I am mindful of the frustration felt over the substantial operating deficit we inherited and the additional significant cuts faced by the College during these last four years,” Kopp wrote. “I have shared your disappointment over this unfortunate reality and done my best to ensure that the College both meets its core obligations to its students, and sustains and builds its program of excellence.”
Kopp has headed Stony Brook University’s largest college since Aug. 11, 2014. Prior to taking his current position, he served as associate dean for undergraduate education of the College of Natural Sciences and professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin.
A physicist by background, Kopp’s work prior to becoming an administrator focused on researching elementary particles. A experiment he helped conduct at FERMILAB at the University of Chicago discovered the top quark.
It is not yet known who will succeed Kopp as the next dean of the CAS.
The Statesman will update this story as more information becomes available.
Correction Feb. 26, 2018
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the email announcing Kopp’s resignation was sent out to students as well as faculty.
