“It is a little closer to the Arctic Circle than I thought I would end up,” Bybee quipped. “[Syracuse]has all the advantages of a small-town life because it allows us to have a house near the university.”

Bybee will not offer any classes this spring—he will be on leave because his wife just gave birth.

Students of Bybee said they will be sorry to see the popular professor go.

“Bybee is a great professor—intelligent, funny and engaging. He makes you want to go to class,” said Jonathan J. Fuentes ’03, a student in Bybee’s tutorial on affirmative action.

And Bybee says losing Harvard undergraduates will be the worst part of leaving.

“That’s my one regret—I can’t take them with me,” Bybee said.

Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles was not available for comment. Government department officials were also unavailable for comment.

—Staff writer Lauren R. Dorgan can be reached at dorgan@fas.harvard.edu.