Peter Noyes said in a statement that ¡°my family must come first at a time like this¡± and added that Newport needed a vice-chancellor who could give the institution their full attention.

¡°I am sorry to be leaving in such circumstances and at such a critical time for the university. However, I need to put all my focus on my personal life,¡± he said.

He has spent six years as vice-chancellor. He previously worked as a research associate at the University of Bristol, and as the dean of the business school at the University of Gloucester.

He oversaw the opening of Newport¡¯s new City campus last year, which he described as ¡°one of the greatest days in the university¡¯s history¡±.

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Dr Noyes has spoken out about a number of convulsions in Welsh higher education during the past year.

After the University of Wales ¨C which operated largely independently from Newport - was hit by an alleged visa scam at a linked college last October, Dr Noyes called for its abolition.

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And when the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales confirmed in April that Newport would have its undergraduate entrant places cut by 20.4 per cent in 2013-14 as part of funding reforms, Dr Noyes said there was a ¡°conspiracy¡± to force it to merge with other institutions.

He has been supportive of plans for Newport to merge with Cardiff Metropolitan University and Glamorgan University, a plan being pushed by the Welsh government¡¯s education minister, Leighton Andrews.

Andrew Wilkinson, chairman of the board of governors at Newport, said that Dr Noyes had provided ¡°outstanding leadership in a period of huge turmoil and the demands placed on him personally have been massive¡±.

¡°The university owes him a huge debt of gratitude and we have total respect for the leadership he has provided,¡± he added.

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The governors will appoint a successor to Dr Noyes in the ¡°near future¡± and plan for his replacement to work in tandem with him during a transition period.

david.matthews@tsleducation.com