It was announced on Monday morning that Warde Manuel will be stepping down as the athletics director at the University of Michigan at the end of the calendar year. Manuel is going out on his own terms following a highly successful tenure that results in two national championships and a plethora of Big Ten championships across all the sports he oversaw during his time in Ann Arbor.

Manuel released a statement shortly after the news was made official on Monday.

Here is Manuel’s full statement:

“I am very proud of all the successes and accomplishments of our athletic department over the past 11 years.  We have tremendous coaches and professionals who support our outstanding student athletes every day.

“I am happy President Grasso asked me to stay on to work with him to implement the recommendations for continuous improvement. I promise everyone I will have more to say about my decision at the appropriate time.

“Forever, Go Blue.”