John Hood, the chief executive of the University of Oxford whose tenure has been marked by divisive battles over reforming how the ancient institution is governed, announced today that he would not remain at the university beyond the end of his five-year term, in September 2009.

Recent rules changes would have allowed Mr. Hood to extend his tenure as vice chancellor for an additional two years, but in a letter to Oxford’s chancellor, Lord Patten of Barnes, Mr. Hood wrote, “I continue to believe that five years is the right period. That was the commitment I made on my appointment as vice chancellor, and it remains my view today. That will be the appropriate time for me to hand on the immense privilege of leading this great university.”

Although nearly two years remain in Mr. Hood’s term, university regulations dictate that his successor be nominated during the academic term that begins next spring. Mr. Hood’s announcement comes less than a year after the university’s faculty and staff voted to reject controversial governance reforms that he had championed, in a process that was widely seen as a referendum on his administration.

Mr. Hood, a former vice chancellor of the University of Auckland, was the first outsider in Oxford’s 900 years to be elected to the top administrative post. —Aisha Labi