WALTHAM, NY- The president of Brandeis University, who came under intense criticism for recommending that the school close its art museum and sell $350 million worth of art, says he is stepping down.

Jehuda Reinharz (juh-HUDE'-uh RYNE'-hartz) told the school's trustees this week he will remain on the job until a new president has been selected, or until June 2011.

Reinharz told The Justice student newspaper, which first reported the resignation, that his decision had nothing to do with the uproar caused by his recommendation in January to close the Rose Art Museum. He says he's stepping down because he has met his goals.

Since Reinharz took over in 1994, the university has gone on a building spree, established new academic programs, and tripled its endowment.

President Reinharz began his tenure at Brandeis in 1982 and served in multiple roles, including provost, prior to being named the seventh president of Brandeis in 1994. Since then, President Reinharz has been responsible for transforming the University’s facilities into state-of-the art teaching and learning environments through a campus-wide expansion and redevelopment that includes a new Science Center, Humanities Center and Student Center. He has also significantly increased the number of endowed chairs for faculty, and opened ten new research centers and institutes, including the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life; the Crown Center for Middle East Studies; and the Mandel Center for Jewish Education.