Summers was facing a second vote of no confidence from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the predominant school in which undergraduates enroll and a major entity at the graduate level.

A previous vote of no confidence had occurred in early 2005 following an uproar over comments Summers made relating to women in science. He had suggested in a speech that women lack the same aptitude for math and science that men do.

The latest fire was started by the resignation of the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, William C. Kirby. Some professors believed that Kirby was forced out of his position by Summers, and many have speculated that similar questions had caused the Harvard Corporation, the equivalent of RPI’s Board of Trustees, to consider removing him.

“Working closely with all parts of the Harvard community, and especially with our remarkable students, has been one of the great joys of my professional life,” Summers announced in his online letter to the campus. “However, I have reluctantly concluded that the rifts between me and segments of the Arts and Sciences faculty make it infeasible for me to advance the agenda of renewal that I see as crucial to Harvard’s future.”

As polls conducted by The Harvard Crimson have concluded, Harvard students overwhelmingly supported Summers. Male undergraduates were more likely to support him than were female undergraduates.

Derek Bok, Harvard president from 1971 to 1991, will serve as interim president until the Corporation is able to find a replacement. The new administrator will take the helm of a school that remains near the top of most recognized rankings and that has increased its endowment to over $27 billion.

It is not uncommon for university presidents to seek faculty positions after leaving office. For example, former RPI President Daniel Berg was named Institute professor of science and technology in 1987 and continues to serve on the Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems faculty.