Edwin Robinson has stepped down from his position as president of MidAmerica Nazarene University, the school confirmed.

Robinson submitted a letter of resignation to the university's Board of Trustees May 9 after serving six years as university president. 

According to Larry McIntire, chair of the Board of Trustees, the resignation becomes effective June 30. 

"It was with appreciation for his service to and representation of the university that the Board of Trustees accepted Dr. Robinson's resignation," said an email from the Board to the MNU community Monday.

Robinson was elected president of MNU in 2005. In 2009, he was re-elected to a five-year term by an overwhelming majority in a vote of the Board of Trustees.

Prior to becoming MNU's president, Robinson was director of Nazarene Theological Seminary's Master of Arts in Christian Education program and was minister of the chapel at NTS. 

He holds a Ph.D. in educational studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Northwest Nazarene University (1973) and a master of religious education degree from NTS (1976).

Robinson spent 10 years working in churches, first as a youth and education minister in San Diego, and then as a minister of Christian education in Long Beach, California.

He is the second president of a Nazarene institution of higher education to resign in the past month. Ron Benefiel stepped down as president of Nazarene Theological Seminary in April. (Story)

In his report to the trustees, Benefiel indicated that his wife, Janet, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. As a result, they decided together that it was necessary to move back to Southern California to be near their children and family. Benefiel has accepted a faculty position in and appointment as dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Point Loma Nazarene University, effective July 1.

MidAmerica Nazarene University will form a presidential search committee and an acting president will be named in the near future.