The embattled chancellor of Kapiolani Community College says he was not forced out of the job he’s held the past decade, but has chosen to step down for the overall good of the campus amid complaints about his leadership from faculty, staff and student groups.

The University of Hawaii on Wednesday announced that Leon Richards would step down after the college’s May 15 commencement exercises and retire from the university Dec. 1.

The announcement came on the heels of votes of no confidence in Richards’ leadership by KCC’s Faculty Senate, Student Congress, Staff Council (which represents administrative, clerical and custodial staff) and the Kalaualani Council, representing Native Hawaiian faculty and staff.

“Ultimately, it is my decision to leave Kapiolani Community College,” Richards, 70, told reporters Thursday at a news conference at the downtown offices of attorney Michael Green.

“The focus on students was becoming secondary, and it’s not in my nature to ever allow that to happen,” Richards said.

“Students are our No. 1 priority. We are there for the students. And when this process became to the point where that’s being interrupted, I thought it was time to leave. Also, the faculty were becoming more divided. … I felt that it was time to leave to allow the college to heal itself.”

Green, who described Richards as an “extremely private man,” said the chancellor is not taking legal action against UH or any of his colleagues.

“We’re not suing anybody, which is not my choice,” said Green, who contends Richards was denied due process rights.

“It was a star chamber proceeding,” Green said. “To do that to someone who’s given his career to education and this school and to this community is kind of shocking, that they could simply turn their back on him, not give him due process, not give him a hearing. … It’s a tragedy

Richards agreed that the faculty’s no-confidence voting was not transparent. The group voted by unit or department, with 13 of the college’s 16 units voting in favor of a resolution of no confidence.

KCC linguistics professor Susan Inouye, newly elected chairwoman of the Faculty Senate, said the voting was designed to protect individual identities.

“We wanted everyone to have their voices heard. We also wanted them to be able to be anonymous, just like any election for governor or president. That was deemed as the best way,” Inouye said in an interview.

She added, “We look forward to moving the campus forward in a positive direction, and we wish him well.”

Richards, who joined KCC in 1977, was acting chancellor for two years before getting the permanent job in 2007, and has also worked as dean of instruction. His academic specialty is political science/international relations and teaching English as a second language.

Under Board of Regents policy, executive and managerial personnel who do not have return rights to another position and have been employed for two or more years can be terminated with six months’ prior written notice.