Professor Jitendra Singh's resignation was announced in an e-mail to NTU staff and students from university president Su Guaning yesterday afternoon.

The message said that Prof Singh, 54, will serve as senior adviser to Dr Su at Nanyang Business School (NBS).

NBS' current executive vice-dean Gillian Yeo will be appointed as interim dean.

In the e-mail, Dr Su said that Prof Singh had decided to leave because of 'considerable challenges on the personal front'.

However, The Straits Times understands that a funding dispute with NTU provost Bertil Andersson had a part to play in Prof Singh's decision.

Colleagues who declined to be named said Prof Singh felt the school deserved more money because of its strong performance in recent years.

They said he wanted to use the funds to hire more professors from top foreign universities to propel the school to greater heights.

When contacted, Professor Andersson maintained that Prof Singh had resigned because his daughter had problems adapting to life in Singapore.

He added that Prof Singh's family had returned to Pennsylvania in the United States about six months ago.

Read the full story in The Straits Times today.