The Kansas University School of Education is looking for a new dean.

Angela Lumpkin, who has led the school since August 2001, announced Monday she would resign effective Sunday.

A KU news release cited “personal reasons” for the resignation. Lumpkin, who plans to remain on the KU faculty, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor, declined to say whether Lumpkin was asked to resign.

“It is unusual timing,” Shulenburger said of the resignation. “I can’t comment beyond what the press release said, that it was personal reasons.”

Shulenburger said he expected to name an interim dean by the end of the week. He said he also would decide soon whether that interim dean would serve until the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year or for an additional year.

Lumpkin, who will be paid $132,900 this year, came to KU from the State University of West Georgia, where she was a faculty member and previously served as dean. She also taught at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina.

Her time at KU has been somewhat tumultuous. Within a year of her arrival, chairs of all four School of Education departments announced they would resign, though none said publicly that Lumpkin was the reason for the resignations.

More recently, she was under fire for announcing this spring that the school would cut its physical education program. Slightly more than a week later, Lumpkin allowed students to enter the program, but recommended to administrators that the program be cut. That review process is continuing in university governance.

Shulenburger said Lumpkin’s accomplishments as dean included raising $1 million for the school’s first endowed professorships.

In the news release announcing her resignation, Lumpkin cited increasing tuition as “a huge move forward for us.”

“We had great support from our students for the new tuition structure and we’re already seeing the results,” she said. “We’ve awarded new merit scholarships and need-based grants and we’ve increased stipends for those who supervise our students in the public schools. We’ve also been able to improve services to students — everything from extended hours in computer labs to funds for students presenting research papers at professional conferences.”

The School of Education enrolls more than 600 undergraduate students and 1,300 graduate students.

The school’s special-education department was ranked first in the nation among public universities in the 2005 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The doctoral programs ranked 25th in the nation.

Susan Twombly, a professor of teaching and leadership and Faculty Senate representative for the school, said she thought Lumpkin’s emphasis on research — and not just on teacher preparation — had caused conflicts with some faculty members.

“She really had a good vision for the school,” Twombly said. “It was a vision of promoting research. Bringing about change is hard. It’s unfortunate.”