University staff were told this week Prof David Murdoch was unwell and deputy academic vice-chancellor Prof Helen Nicholson had been appointed acting vice-chancellor.
In the message, chancellor Stephen Higgs said as a result, the university was "rearranging immediate priorities’’.
This included delaying the start of consultation on a brand refresh aimed at exploring the university’s "visual identity’’.
A university spokeswoman did not respond to questions about when Prof Murdoch was expected to return, saying for privacy reasons it would not comment on his illness.
The spokeswoman said it did not expect any significant delay to consultation on its brand refresh, which had been named Tuakiritaka, meaning identity.
The brand refresh is set to include a change to its Māori name and the Otago Daily Times understands the university is also considering a logo change.
The university did not respond to specific questions about the project.
"We will be consulting with all staff and key stakeholders, including alumni and students, in the very near future and will discuss all aspects of our visual identity project with them.
"But as previously publicly stated, there are no plans to change the name from the University of Otago.’’
