ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida board of trustees will meet Thursday morning to consider whether to accept President Dale Whittaker's resignation.
The emergency meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the UCF Fairwinds Alumni Center.
On Tuesday, Whittaker wrote a letter to the trustees in which he asked to step down from his role in order to help restore the public's trust in the university after school officials misused $38 million to build Trevor Colbourn Hall.
"I do so (resign) with the conviction that I have always acted with integrity and honesty, and with optimism that the relationship between UCF and the legislature can be renewed," Whittaker wrote.
UCF board of trustees Chairman Robert Garvy wrote in a letter to his fellow trustees that Whittaker's resignation shows his willingness to put the university's well-being ahead of his own.
"I am grateful for his willingness to subordinate those interests to the needs of our students, our two hundred and eighty thousand graduates, and tens of thousands of businesses, organizations, and entities that rely on UCF’s talent and significant economic impact," Garvy wrote.
As news of the resignation spread, a UCF student started a petition in hopes of persuading the trustees to allow Whittaker to keep his job, which he has been in since July 1. So far, thousands of people have signed.
Whittaker's inauguration was scheduled for Feb. 26 but has since been canceled.