CU Regent Admits Rushed Vetting Of Presidential Finalist Pick

BOULDER, CO -- One day after the University of Colorado Board of Regents appointed Mark Kennedy as the sole finalist to replace outgoing president Bruce Benson, CU students were already organizing a protest over the choice while faculty members circulated a letter of criticism, according to reporting from the Daily Camera. Those opposed to the selection say they are concerned by Kennedy's votes as a Minnesota representative in Congress in the early 200os against gay marriage and women's reproductive rights.

CU regent Lesley Smith assured the public that the decision was not yet final in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "We voted for Kennedy as finalist for CU President," said Smith. "There's a 14-d vetting period before we vote for President. Some information about Mark has come to light that is concerning; my colleagues and I will be exploring this further."

https://t.co/lhEuzJe2tw

Updating my post. We voted for Kennedy as finalist for CU President. There's a 14-d vetting period before we vote for President. Some information about Mark has come to light that is concerning; my colleagues and I will be exploring this further. Tnx all
— CU Regent Lesley Smith (@LesleyForCU) April 10, 2019

In an interview with the Denver Post, Regent Linda Shoemaker explained that an announcement alluding to Kennedy's move in the Grand Forks Herald had forced CU officials to rush their announcement.

“It’s unfortunate we prematurely had to release his name,” Shoemaker told the Post, “because we didn’t even have the opportunity for our own staff to do the vetting that we would have expected to be done prior to announcing this finalist.”

"We need the press and the public to do the job in vetting him.”

Students demanding greater transparency in the regents' selection process have planned a protest scheduled for noon Monday at the Norlin Quad on the CU-Boulder campus. "Kennedy does not represent the student body!" reads the event posting, promoted by several student groups.

Sue Sharkey, chair of the Board of Regents, defended the choice in an interview with the Post. "This is all about where Mark stood 20 years ago on same-sex marriage,” she said. “He’s not running for office. He’s not running for Congress. He’s not going to be making votes in the legislature. He’s not running a campus like a chancellor. He’s a CEO of a $4.5 billion institution. This is overshadowing the wealth of experience he has to run a university system.”

Read more about Kennedy, the protests, and the selection process from the Denver Post and the Daily Camera.