Less than a week after his trip to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Chancellor Donald Mash withdrew his candidacy Sunday evening for the presidential position there.

Mash enjoyed his trip to IUP, but said his five years invested at UW-Eau Claire forced him to consider how quickly he would become comfortable in his third potential role as a university president.

Referring to a press release sent Monday, Mash said his decision to remain was based on his original opinion that “UW-Eau Claire is an outstanding university with terrific people in a great system.”

He again denied that oncoming UW System budget cuts played a role in his decision to consider the IUP role.

“Every place has its own challenges,” he said, adding that both Eau Claire and IUP are facing financial difficulties.

“As I said in my original announcement, this would have been a tough time to leave, given the challenges we face,” Mash said in Monday’s press release. “Together we have been managing our challenges well and I am looking forward to continuing our important work.”

Mash thanked those giving positive feedback both before and after his decision was made, saying they figured prominently into his decision.