Hamline President Dr. Fayneese Miller announces retirement set for next year

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Hamline University President Dr. Fayneese Miller on Monday announced she'll be retiring next summer. It follows a school year marked with controversy over depiction of Muhammad in art class.

Miller was selected as the university's 20th president in July 2015. She was the university's first African American president and second woman to hold the position.

RELATED: Hamline faculty call for college president's resignation following Muhammad art flap

"Over the past 8 years, Dr. Miller has been an exceptional, dynamic, and inclusive leader for Hamline with a strong commitment to academic program development, diversity, and fundraising," the university said in a statement.

Read Miller's full statement on retirement below:

"It has been an honor and privilege to lead Hamline University, an institution that values social justice, equity, inclusion, and civic engagement through its service-learning opportunities for students and curriculum offerings. I am proud that Hamline recently received significant federal funding and targeted increased private donations to support paid internships which will afford widespread opportunity for Hamline students for paid real-world employment experiences. It has been a pleasure working together with board members, students, faculty, staff, and the community in enhancing Hamline University's strong commitment to maintaining high academic standards, creating a sense of belonging for all on campus, and developing students who understand and appreciate their role as members of a civil society."

Miller will officially retire from the position on June 30, 2024. 

In January, faculty at the university called for Miller's resignation following a controversy involving art of the Prophet Muhammad.

Miller admitted to making mistakes in the handling of the controversy that started in early October, when a Muslim student complained about an adjunct professor showing an image of the Prophet Muhammad in an art class.

The adjunct professor, Dr. Erika Lopez Prater, said following the complaint she was told she wouldn't teach a course during the spring semester. She then filed a lawsuit against the university.

Hamline's faculty issued a statement saying in part, "we reject unfounded accusations of Islamophobia" and that "we no longer have faith in President Miller's ability to lead the university forward."