Sams will continue in his role until a replacement is found, according to a statement on the university's Web site.

Two top IT staffers - the university's director of communication network services and the manager of Internet and systems -- have already been suspended and face possible termination over the incidents.

"The IT organization at Ohio University is positioned for a major transition into a 21st century leadership position," Sams was quoted as saying in the statement. "However, it has become clear to me that a new energy level and skill set is going to be required in order to allow our IT organization to realize its potential," he added.

The development should come as no surprise to anyone, given the scope of the breaches, said Pete Lindstrom, an analyst with Spire Security LLC in Malvern, Pa.

But "whether or not the CIO was really at fault in any of this is anybody's guess," Lindstrom said. "Only the insiders will know if he could have done more and didn't or whether there was a more persistent problem to begin with," he said.