Ralph J. Hexter announced today that he will step down as president of Hampshire College, according to a statement from the college. Details of his departure were pending. The chair of Hampshire's governing board praised Mr. Hexter's successes at raising money and advancing diversity. Mr. Hexter, who has been an advocate for gay college presidents, in 2007 had the first same-sex wedding for a college chief.

College leaders who serve on corporate boards are "part of a cozy and lucrative club," according to a major article in The New York Times. While academics can bring fresh perspectives and the imprimatur of their universities to boards, the article said they face competing time demands and the possibility of being dragged into a corporate scandal. Some experts also questioned whether academics, who typically lack business experience, have been good fiduciaries for companies.

A group of four tenured professors at Tennessee State University was the driving force behind efforts to remove the university's president, Melvin N. Johnson, The Tennessean reports. Mr. Johnson announced his resignation last week, citing "family and personal reasons." But the faculty members had drawn widespread attention with their complaints about Mr. Johnson's leadership as the university has struggled with low enrollment and budget problems.

A group of South Carolina lawmakers have called for an audit of South Carolina State University's James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center, reports The Post and Courier. The inquiry follows an article by the newspaper that questioned what happened to a large portion of the $50-million in federal and state money that has flowed to the vacant center since 1998. Also this week, the university's governing board rehired as president George E. Cooper, whom the board fired on June 15.

Msgr. Stuart W. Swetland, the sole finalist to be president of Seton Hall University, removed himself from consideration on Wednesday, The Star-Ledger reports. Monsignor Swetland, a professor of Christian ethics at Mount Saint Mary's University, in Maryland, had been a controversial candidate at the New Jersey institution. Some faculty members criticized his lack of administrative experience, and the newspaper reports that he had sought a salary of $300,000 and other perks, much more than the minimal pay received by many leaders of Roman Catholic colleges. Monsignor Swetland contested how his compensation requests had been described, saying negotiations were continuing.

The leader of Shaw University's alumni association has called for the ouster of the university's entire Board of Trustees, reports The News and Observer. The financially troubled university, located in North Carolina, received a $31-million federal loan in March. Citing "gross neglect," the alumni group accused trustees of ignoring their fiduciary duties.

An audit by Nebraska's state auditor found that a former president of Peru State College, Ben Johnson, used about $43,000 from a university-related account for personal expenses, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Mr. Johnson, who retired in 2008, had also recently been fined for failing to disclose $450,000 in deferred compensation. He committed suicide on April 12, according to authorities, as an investigation related to his use of college funds was progressing.

Lamar E. Cooper, interim president of Criswell College, a Christian institution in Dallas, used the word "wetbacks" when discussing illegal immigration during a radio broadcast on Sunday morning, The Dallas Morning News reports. Criswell's board chair said Mr. Cooper was contrite and planned to apologize for the remark. The church-sponsored radio program has been indefinitely suspended.

The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission said Monday that the former chair of the governing board of Quincy College violated state conflict-of-interest law by using her position to benefit family members, The Patriot Ledger reports. The commission fined Theresa Lord Piatelli $4,000 for urging college officials to hire her brother for an entry-level job in 2003, and for allowing her cousin to perform community service at the college as part of a plea deal. The college, a two-year institution in the city of Quincy, has had other leaders who faced ethical charges in recent years.