Only days after the departure of Department of Residence Director Randy Alexander, another Department of Residence employee has announced his plans to resign.

John Shertzer, residence life coordinator and adviser to residence hall student groups such as the Inter-Residence Hall Association, announced Tuesday that he would vacate his position in early August to pursue a job at the University of Maryland.

In his letter to IRHA and Residence Hall Leadership Organization members, Shertzer outlined the basis for his decision to leave, saying his new position of coordinator of student involvement and leadership development at Maryland had been a longtime goal and the next logical step in his professional development.

Although Shertzer’s time as adviser to the two groups has included more than one instance in which unpopular news was given to students — the recent closings of several dorms among them — Shertzer said he felt no regrets about his time at the school. He said the DOR is moving in the right direction to keep up with the future.

“There’ve been several decisions that I think some students have disagreed with, and I think that’s fair, and I think students have a right to disagree with things,” he said. “And I think there’s some directions that the Department of Residence has been moving that has been seen as extremely positive by some students and not as positive by others. I think that’s only natural, in an organization or institution with a lot of diverse viewpoints, to have that kind of mixed reaction.”

Shertzer’s legacy will apparently be more positive than Alexander’s, who was remembered by many student leaders as unwilling to work with housing organizations.

“[Shertzer is] a really nice guy, and he relates really well to students,” said Drew Larson, IRHA president. “I appreciate his work, and I think a lot of people did.”

William Rock, Government of the Student Body vice president and former IRHA member, said Shertzer’s resignation would be a loss to student groups.

“He was very friendly, very helpful,” Rock said. “I enjoyed working with him a lot. It’s unfortunate that he’s leaving.”

But in Shertzer’s absence, the future of the position he held is uncertain. Virginia Arthur, associate director of residence, said the decision has not yet been made as to whether or not the job will be filled.

Todd Holcomb, associate vice president of student affairs and director of the DOR in Alexander’s absence, said it was too early to determine whether or not the position would remain open, but he said it was a possibility.

Shertzer said budget troubles had nothing to do with his decision to leave the university so soon after Alexander’s resignation — he said it’s merely a coincidence.

“The only reason I’m moving on is because of this job opportunity at the University of Maryland, which has a lot of neat things they do regarding leadership development,” he said. “I’ve been at Iowa State for five years, and as a young professional, it’s not unusual to stake out other opportunities and move on in order to move up.”

Shertzer’s wife, Ellen, a program assistant in the alumni service department at Iowa State, will also be resigning, Shertzer said.