Thomas Conner

Thomas Conner has resigned as pop music critic of the Sun-Times to enter the Ph.D. program in communication this fall at the University of California in San Diego. He also plans to research and teach at UCSD. His last day at the Sun-Times will be June 14.

"This hereby suspends my 20-year, full-time career in journalism," Conner told friends on Facebook. "I've been one lucky bastard in this racket, I've had more fun than a paycheck deserves, and I've worked alongside some brilliant and brave human beings. But it's time for a change, and I'm eager for it."

Conner, 42, joined the Sun-Times as assistant features editor in 2005 and was named to succeed critic Jim DeRogatis in 2010. He previously was pop music critic for the Tulsa World in his native Oklahoma for eight years.

The Sun-Times has no plans to replace him on staff.