West Virginia University President Mike Garrison says he'll resign September 1 to end the controversy surrounding the improper awarding of a master's degree to the governor's daughter.

Garrison told WVU's Board of Governors Friday that it's the most difficiult decision he's ever faced.

Last week, the board declared Garrison had done nothing wrong in the matter of Mylan executive Heather Bresch. An independent panel also found there was no evidence of Garrison's interference. But the incident happened on his watch.

Last fall, WVU administrators added courses and grades to Bresch's incomplete transcript, and awarded her a 1998 executive master's business of administration degree she'd been claiming on her resume.

The Board of Governors said Friday that Garrison's decision to leave is "unselfish."

There's no word on what he will do until then, or when the board will start looking for a successor.