Vermont State Colleges System chancellor Jeb Spaulding plans to submit his resignation to the board of trustees Wednesday night, according to a press release.

"I realize that a fresh perspective and new leadership is necessary to move the VSCS forward in its mission," Spaulding said in a release sent out Tuesday morning. "I will continue to do all I can to provide support in the transition and champion the System’s leaders as they work through the challenges ahead.”

Spaulding's decision comes a week after he withdrew a highly controversial proposal to close three state college campuses in the face of mounting losses from the coronavirus pandemic. He has served as chancellor for five years.

The trustees plan to discuss "next steps for leadership" at Wednesday's meeting and may consider appointing the system's general counsel, Sophie Zdatny, until they can identify a longer-term interim chancellor.

“We deeply appreciate Jeb’s extended career in service to Vermont and Vermonters. We at the Vermont State Colleges System have valued his contributions as our Chancellor, and we wish him well as he charts his next course,” said trustees chair J. Churchill Hindes in the release.

This story will be updated.