Why do tenured professors at high-ranked universities move to lower-ranked universities? I have seen some tenured professors at top ranked universities move to lower ranked universities. Why do professors do this? At lower ranked universities there are less resources and the graduate students are weaker.
There are many reasons that people change institutions. I was tenured at an R1 institution and moved to a "high research" institution because I wanted to live in the area where the second institution is located. Although my current institution has a lower research ranking, it is the state's flagship school, where my former institution is not. So, I actually get more resources, better pay, and our students are more prepared when they start college, compared to my prior institution. So, your assumption that a higher ranked institution is better is not always true.