The King's College Board of Trustees accepted D'Souza's resignation, effective immediately, to allow him to "attend to his personal and family needs," according to a King's College press release.
D'Souza directed, wrote and starred in "2016: Obama's America" (2012), the highest grossing conservative documentary of all time, which is based on his 2010 book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage."
D'Souza resigned Thursday, two days after the Christian magazine World published an article alleging that he had spent a night in a hotel room with his Denise Odie Joseph, who he introduced as his fiancee, during a Christian values conference in South Carolina. D'Souza became engaged to Joseph while still legally married to his wife, Dixie D'Souza.
Dinesh D'Souza, who separated from his wife Dixie in 2010, filed for divorce several days after the gathering and denied sharing a room with Joseph in a statement posted both on his website and Fox News. D'Souza denied all wrongdoing in the statement and has suspended his engagement. "My resignation will enable the King's College to go forward without distraction," D'Souza said in the statement. "It will also enable me to address personal matters in my life as well as to pursue new opportunities made possible by the success of my recent book and film."
D'Souza said he was not aware that being engaged to someone while still legally married was considered immoral.
"I sought out advice about whether it is legal to be engaged prior to being divorced, and I was informed that it is," he said. "[Joseph] and I were trying to do the right thing. I had no idea that it is considered wrong in Christian circles to be engaged prior to being divorced, even though in a state of separation and in divorce proceedings."
D'Souza said a personal vendetta sparked these accusations. Martin Olasky, the editor of World magazine and former provost of the King's College, "vehemently opposed" D'Souza's presidency and resigned as a result of his appointment, according to D'Souza's statement. Warren Smith, who wrote the article, worked as a consultant for the King's College until D'Souza decided not to renew his contract, D'Souza said.
King's College Board Chairman Andy Mills will assume the role of interim president until a new president is appointed.
Luke Trouwborst, a King's College student and editor of the independent campus opinion magazine The Lewis Review, said that D'Souza's resignation was unexpected and did not leave him with a sense of closure.
"He so vigorously defended his innocence on Fox News," Trouwborst said. "If he was really innocent, I don't know what he had to lose by staying at the school."
After D'Souza tendered his resignation, the college's Board of Trustees deliberated for several hours, Trouwborst said. The college seemed as if it would have been prepared to work with D'Souza if he had chosen to stay, he said.
Trouwborst said that while D'Souza had been a successful fundraiser for the King's College, he was frustrated with the public image D'Souza presented.
"King's College is not full of crazy conservatives such as conspiracy theorists many students weren't very happy with his recent documentary and his book," he said. "There's been a generally good reaction to his resignation."
Many students hope that the college's next president will be "more of an academic" who represents the Christian traditions of the college and is not solely a conservative pundit, Trouwborst said.
Vice President of the College Republicans Robert Smith '13 said he was surprised by D'Souza's resignation because the allegations against him have not been proven.
"In some ways this gives him an excuse to move on, though," Smith said. "It gives him time to focus on other areas that he's been developing, like his movie and book."
Smith said that while he does not believe D'Souza lied about his personal life, if it is revealed that he has, his career will be significantly compromised.
Political Director of the College Democrats Colin Harris '13 said he does not believe this scandal will affect D'Souza's contributions to the conservative cause in the long run.
"When you hold yourself out as a paragon of virtue, as he did, those sorts of things are very damaging, perhaps even more so then if you had not held yourself up as a standard for virtuous living," he said. "Regardless of this, he is a very bright guy, and I have no doubt he will find somewhere else willing to take him."
Although D'Souza's resignation shocked him, Harris said that the scandal is an example of people with "extreme" views falling prey to hypocrisy.
Josh Koenig contributed reporting to this article.
