The chairman of the West Virginia University Board of Governors says he will relinquish the chairmanship, but not his board seat, when his term ends in July.

Steve Goodwin said he will continue to serve his term as a board member through 2010 but won't seek the chairman's position again.

Mr. Goodwin, along with university President Mike Garrison, has been under siege by faculty members and alumni over a degree scandal that has damaged the school's reputation.

An independent panel of investigators determined that the university retroactively awarded a master's of business administration to Mylan Inc. executive Heather Bresch that she did not earn. Ms. Bresch is the daughter of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.