By Nicole Haley

Northeastern alumnus Richard Egan turned in his resignation as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland on Dec. 20, only 15 months after President Bush appointed him to the post.

Although Egan has not released any official statement to the press, nor was he available for comment regarding his reasons for leaving, there is speculation by several news sources that his position did not live up to his expectations of a more active diplomatic role.

Roger Marino, another Northeastern alumnus as well as the co-founder of EMC, the data-storage corporation of which Egan is former chairman, told The Boston Globe that Egan was “frustrated at the many administrative duties he faced.”

The Boston Herald reported in a Dec. 29 article that Egan disliked his limited role in the efforts to cease bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

A 1961 engineering graduate, Egan is a member of the Board of Trustees at Northeastern and has made several major contributions to the university over the years. He was a major contributor to the $30 million Egan Research Center on campus which offers several resources for engineering research including its own NASA lab.

“He is a very loyal and much respected member of the Northeastern community and serves as a great example of what Northeastern is all about – entrepreneur, successful businessman, philanthropist, public servant – he is a real Northeastern success story,” said Director of University Communications Ed Klotzbier.

Egan has not made any statement regarding his plans for the future.