President of U. of Texas-Pan American, Accused of Plagiarism, Will Retire

The embattled president of the University of Texas-Pan American announced today that she would retire at the end of the month, saying the pressures of the job had taxed her health, the Associated Press reported.

The president, Blandina Cárdenas, faced anonymous accusations last year that she had plagiarized parts of her 1974 doctoral dissertation. She has denied the accusations, which the university system had been investigating.

David B. Prior, the system’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, said this afternoon that the system had dropped the investigation, now that Ms. Cárdenas has announced her plans to retire.

Ms. Cárdenas explained her decision in a written statement posted on the university’s Web site. It said, in part: “The pressures of the last several months have seriously taxed my health and well-being, and impaired my ability to lead the university with the intensity and focus I believe necessary.” She added that, after four and a half years as president, “it is time for me to move on.”

In a written statement, H. Scott Caven Jr., chairman of the university system’s Board of Regents, called Ms. Cárdenas an “inspirational leader.” Paul Sale, the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, will serve as president until an interim leader is named.