Ruth Simmons to retire as president of Brown University

The first African-American woman to lead an Ivy League university is stepping down.

Ruth J. Simmons (pictured), announced Thursday that she will leave her position as Brown University‘s president at the end of the current academic year. She plans to continue teaching as a professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.

In a statement, Simmons says her time leading the Providence school was “deeply satisfying” but that the time is right for new leadership.

Simmons became president in 2001. She came to the university after serving as president of Smith College.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.