Ellison led the Ad Board through the adjudication of Harvard’s largest cheating scandal in recent memory. In 2012, the Ad Board investigated roughly 125 students accused of plagiarizing or inappropriately collaborating on Gov 1310’s final take-home exam, requiring about 70 to temporarily withdraw from the College.

During the Ad Board’s investigation, the contents of an internal email sent by Ellison advising his colleagues about counseling athletes and other students involved in the scandal appeared in the press, prompting administrators to secretly search the email accounts of resident deans to determine the source of the leak. Ellison’s account was also searched at his request.

The news of Ellison’s upcoming departure comes just two days after the announcement that another member of the Ad Board will leave the College at the end of the academic year. This summer, Adams House resident dean Sharon L. Howell will begin work as the associate head of school at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Mass.

After Pfister’s departure and the appointment of Ellison’s successor, the Ad Board’s two highest positions will be filled by newcomers to the roles.

—Staff writer Madeline R. Conway can be reached at mconway@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @MadelineRConway.

—Staff writer Steven S. Lee can be reached at steven.lee@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenSJLee.