Faculty Resignation Letter

A member of a faculty can be resigning from the position for any number of reasons, and the reasons may vary from moving to another faculty position to being forced to resign due to poor performance or school budget cuts. The position can be at a college, private school, or some other educational establishment. Regardless of the reason for a resignation from a faculty, it is important for the letter to be well-written and professional.

Format and Content

A faculty resignation letter format should be polite in spite of any ill feelings on the part of the faculty member who is resigning. The letter should note the faculty member’s last day of teaching and can also mention the reason for the resignation. The letter should express appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the faculty and leave the door open for a return to a faculty position at the school in the future.

Sample

This faculty resignation letter sample is from an archeology professor who has received an offer to participate in a 2 year archeological dig project in the Middle East. The only way for the professor to accept the offer is to resign her current position on the faculty of the university.

Dear Dean Rockwell:

I am writing this formal resignation letter to you and the ABC University College of Archeology effective at the end of the current semester. As you and I have discussed, I have been offered a position on the excavation team of XYZ Exploration Partners as the team embarks on a 2 year dig in several pre-identified areas of Northern Africa and the Middle East. I am extremely excited about this amazing opportunity although I will miss the gifted students and my brilliant colleagues at ABC University.

As we discussed, I will be honored to serve as a guest lecturer when I return home during breaks in the Middle Eastern digs. I will be happy to discuss and show photographs of any parts of this archeological expedition for which I obtain permission from XYZ Exploration Partners. Additionally, should I find that the company has future opportunities for internships or study abroad for students; I will contact you to discuss the details.

I want to stress that the last 4 years serving on the faculty of ABC University College of Archeology have been some of the most rewarding of my life. I greatly appreciate the innovative thinking of the college’s leadership and the remarkable educational opportunities that are offered to the students. It has been a pleasure to be a part of a faculty that is on the cutting edge of archeological education in the U.S.

Although I have been a member of the faculty, I feel that I have learned almost as much as many of the students due to the more experienced faculty members who have shared their knowledge with me. I have learned expert dig techniques that are not detailed in books, but that are borne out of the vast worldwide experiences of the seasoned archeologists and professors at ABC University. Please except my heartfelt thanks for a fascinating 4 years on your faculty and I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future.

Gratefully Yours,

Diana Ford