YAKIMA, Wash. -- Dr. Stan Flemming, president of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, has abruptly left his position without explanation after two years on the job.

According to board president Karen Hyatt, Flemming, 56, informed the university board of trustees of his decision last week. The board accepted the decision Wednesday.

Hyatt declined to elaborate on the reasons for Flemming's exit, calling them "personal." But she suggested it was Flemming's choice.

"I asked Stan to really think hard about his decision," Hyatt said.

Flemming said in an e-mail to the Yakima Herald-Republic that he would have no immediate comment.

His departure puts Yakima's relatively new medical school in a new phase of uncertainty. He was the third leader at the university in four years.

Hyatt called the news disappointing but a reflection of "growing pains."

Pacific Northwest University had an employment contract with Flemming, but Hyatt declined to say whether the board bought out the remainder of his term. According to the university's most recent statement filed with the Internal Revenue Service, Flemming's annual salary was $305,803.

As top administrator of Yakima's medical school, Flemming presided over the inaugural class of students, which is now in its second year. He also oversaw the addition of two new colleges -- Allied Health Sciences and Postgraduate Studies. A former state legislator, he worked with Rep. Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, to secure $800,000 in state funding for the university from the 2009 Legislature.

Johnson said Thursday he was shocked to hear of Flemming's departure. "This surprises me. I certainly wish him well," Johnson said.

The first university president, Dr. Greg Mick, resigned in December 2006 after board members learned he had surrendered his medical license in Alabama because of patient complaints.

Interim president Fred Tinning stepped in until Flemming was hired in November 2007. The school's first class in the College of Osteopathic Medicine began in August 2008.

Dr. Lloyd Butler, a founding member of the university, will serve as interim president. A national search for Flemming's replacement will be launched and could take as long as two years, Hyatt said.

She said the university is on solid financial footing and has a team of leaders in place.

"Our solid team of talented, passionate and experienced faculty, staff and administrators remains intact, focused and committed," Hyatt said.

Flemming's wife is a school principal. The couple has continued to own a home in University Place, which is in Pierce County.

Although his family did not relocate to Yakima, Flemming was active in community affairs in the Yakima Valley, serving on the boards of the Yakima Health District and New Vision, the county economic development agency.

Flemming received a degree in osteopathic medicine in 1985 from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. He earlier received a commission in the Army, where he rose to the rank of brigadier general. He commanded field hospitals in Kosovo and served as a battalion surgeon in Kuwait.

* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.