hitchcock's initial five-year term was slated to end on june 30, 2009. on april 16, 2008, only four months after seeking reappointment and a month after the unanimous rejection by students, hitchcock suddenly withdrew her request for reappointment in an email to faculty, staff, and students and announced her resignation, to become effective two weeks later, on april 30, 2008, fourteen months before the scheduled end of her term.