University of Missouri-Kansas City Chancellor Leo Morton plans to retire at the end of the next academic year.
Morton announced his decision Tuesday in an email to faculty. He has been chancellor since 2008, after being an administrator at Aquila Inc.
KCUR-FM reports that Morton says he hopes to spend his final year at the school completing projects like the Downtown Arts Campus, Career Development Institute and fundraising for a new engineering lab facility. He called the chancellor's job one of the greatest privileges and blessings of his life.
The announcement comes amid difficult budget pictures for the four campuses of the University of Missouri system. On Friday, the Kansas City campus announced it will eliminate about 30 jobs and impose other budget cuts because of reduced state funding.
