In a quarterly welcome email to faculty and staff on Monday, April 9,  De Anza College President Brian Murphy announced his plan to retire after spring quarter because of health issues.

He plans to “be fully engaged this spring, working with our community to meet our budget goals.”

Murphy started at De Anza in 2004 after his predecessor, Martha Kanter, was named chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

Murphy’s career at De Anza is marked by a commitment to engaging students with social justice and democracy. He was instrumental in the creation of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action or VIDA, an organization connecting students with political causes, which remains highly influential on campus.

In the email, Murphy states that he is “enormously proud of the dual commitments to educational excellence and social justice that define the college. The work of faculty, classified professionals and administrators has been marked by an uncommon attention to both individual students and the broader dynamics of inequality that frame Silicon Valley.”

Murphy will remain in office until spring commencement on June 29.

The process of finding a new president has not yet been announced.