Less than two weeks after ending talks aimed at merging with the University of Southern California, The Scripps Research Institute has announced the resignation of its president, Mike Marletta.
In a statement Monday, Richard Gephardt, chairman of the institute's board of trustees, said that Marletta "has indicated his desire to leave TSRI and the Board is working with Dr. Marletta on a possible transition plan."
"Should Dr. Marletta depart TSRI, the Board will work to make any transition to new leadership the highest priority. Any such transition will engage all key constituencies in a dialogue about the future direction of this storied institution," Gephardt's statement continued.
U-T San Diego reported that Marletta had been criticized by the faculty for not broadly including researchers in discussions with USC.
The merger idea was seen as a way to rev up funding in the face of stiff competition for federal dollars and increasing pension and other costs.
The merger would have allowed The Scripps Research Institute to receive less of its $310 million annual operating budget from the National Institutes of Health, and would add to USC's prestigious life-science institutes.
Marletta joined the institute's faculty in July 2011, and was named president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2012.
City News Service contributed to this report.
