During the late spring/early summer is traditionally the time for folks to start looking around and seeing if there are opportunities floating around. The "itch" to see if there is something bigger, better, more challenging, closer to home or a significant other, or whatever criteria best fits the situation that you are in or observe. If you are in a position a long time, that you have become invested in or have developed significant relationships as a result of your role, it may be somewhat awkward for both your students and you when it comes time to make the decision "should I stay or should I go".  

While you would like to think that it would be easy just to say, "woo hoo I am gone ya'll" or something to that effect, there are always people who play huge roles in your professional and possibly friend life who that ease of departure doesn't happen for both them and for you..I have been confronted by this twice now in my career as I moved first to finish my Ph.D. and a second time to explore a new pathway for personal growth and betterment of my family. There are both good ways and bad ways to handle these departures. As an example of a bad departure, a former colleague who had worked very closely with a co-ed service organization sent an email to the chapter president the day before her final day on campus. this left the chapter scrambling and with less than desirable feelings toward my former colleague.I don't profess to have any magic bullets to addressing how to address a departure or to having a "good" example because it is all in perspective. Here are a few thoughts for you though if you are pondering a move, or have secured one, and are now trying to figure out how to share it with significant people in your professional realm.

*Ask for the ability to let them hear it from you. Nine times out of ten, when you leave an institution you will get this capability anyway, but don't be afraid to ask. Take the time to sit down with them and talk them through your thinking, field the phone call, let the word trickle out as much as you can, on your terms. By addressing it directly, I would argue that you are showing them value in that you have invested the time.

*Position the areas you are leaving well for your departure.  The value of detailed transition material is hard to understate. Don't sell your successor short, allow them to build on your successes and revamp your shortcomings to create successes that build on your tenure in that role.

*Treat it as an exciting time as much as you can for them and for you. The more uplifting you are about the transition, it will be contagious.

*Recognize the change in relationship afterwards. It is natural and perfectly human to lapse into "shop talk" once you leave as you cross paths with your students, your now former colleagues, etc. through conferences, facebook and the like. You may want to be mindful of that and not seeming to be "fishing".

Transitions are a part of higher ed and a part of life, They are also a development opportunity for your students too if handled effectively. Good luck!