Stephen P. Goodwin, chairman of West Virginia University’s Board of Governors, announced today that he would step down from its top position in July, the Associated Press reported. However, he said he would not leave the board before his term ends, in 2010.

Mr. Goodwin has close ties to the university’s embattled president, Michael S. Garrison. And Mr. Goodwin himself has come under fire as part of the wide-reaching controversy over the university’s awarding of an unearned degree to the daughter of West Virginia’s governor. He acknowledged that his decision to cede the leadership role was related to the uproar over the degree, which led two top administrators to resign last week.

“I don’t anticipate it will satisfy my critics,” Mr. Goodwin told the AP. “I just don’t want it to be the story. I want to take it out of the equation.”

Mr. Goodwin’s announcement came four days after the university’s Faculty Senate voted overwhelmingly to call for Mr. Garrison’s resignation. And it came on the same day that The Chronicle reported that Mr. Garrison and other university officials were considering appointing the governor’s daughter, Heather M. Bresch, to key advisory committees at roughly the same time she was awarded the unearned degree.

Mr. Goodwin has been a staunch supporter of Mr. Garrison. But it is unclear if his departure as chairman will harm Mr. Garrison, who appears to have the backing of the rest of the board. —Paul Fain