The chancellor of Maricopa County Community Colleges District announced Tuesday that she will leave her position after nearly 28 years with the district.
Maria Harper-Marinick said in an email to district staff she “will be leaving no later than the first week of May 2020, the end of my contract.”
Harper-Marinick was appointed chancellor in 2016.
“The journey has been exhilarating, challenging, and at all times rewarding thanks to our students, who inspire us every day, and to all of you who are committed to ensuring that access to quality education and student success is a priority for our colleges,” Harper-Marinick said in the email.
Maria Harper-Marinick faced a vote of "no confidence" in April by the Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Association.
The association’s concerns included the chancellor’s lack of communication as it relates to controversial decisions made by the district’s governing board when it was led by former President Laurin Hendrix.
According to her biography on the Maricopa Community Colleges website, Harper-Marinick came to Arizona in 1982 from the Dominican Republic as a Fulbright Scholar. She holds a master's degree and PhD in education from Arizona State University.
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