Washington — Diane Auer Jones announced her resignation today as the U.S. Education Department’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education, one year after taking the job.

“She did let her senior staff know today that she will be leaving,” said Samara Yudof, a department spokeswoman. Ms. Yudof said she had no immediate details on the reasons for Ms. Jones’s departure.

Ms. Jones was nominated by President Bush in May 2007. She had served as a science-policy adviser in the White House, and as director for government affairs at Princeton University. She also served as a program director at the National Science Foundation and as an associate professor at the Community College of Baltimore County.

That combination of experiences made her valued in the college community, said Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education.

“Diane brought enormous skill and knowledge to the assistant-secretary position,” Mr. Hartle said, citing her efforts to draft regulations governing loan and grant programs for students, and to oversee their implementation. Her departure “is disappointing but not totally surprising,” given that appointed government officials often seek new career opportunities toward the end of an administration, he said. —Paul Basken