Marius was teaching history at the Universityof Tennessee when Harvard brought him in to teachExpos in 1978. The new director was charged withimposing standards and restoring confidence in theprogram, and many teachers and administrators ofthe time credit him with leading a revival ofExpos.

In the October Crimson series, however, thevast majority of the 71 teachers who wereinterviewed complained about Marius' conduct anddecision-making, most notably his support for thefour-year limit for teachers.

Eight current teachers, all speaking oncondition of anonymity, said at the time thatMarius should step down as director.

Associate Director of Expository Writing NancySommers had effectively assumed day-to-daydecision making control in Expos, and there havebeen other signs that Marius was on his way out.During a two-and-a-half hour interview with TheCrimson, Marius repeatedly said that he "won't bestaying at Expos forever."

Students have long praised Marius' teachingskills. He won the Levenson Award forundergraduate teaching in 1990.

Marius is an accomplished writer and novelist,most recently of the critically acclaimed Afterthe War. He has authored textbooks on writingas well as a biography of Thomas More. He alsowrites "The Browser," a books column for HarvardMagazine.

Michael K. Mayo contributed to the reportingof this story.