Mark Kennedy to leave CU on July 1
On Thursday, June 3, controversial University of Colorado President Mark Kennedy stepped down from his position overseeing all four CU-affiliated campuses.
Kennedy announced that he would eventually leave the University system in early March after CU Boulder students and faculty voted to censure his actions surrounding diversity.
In his final letter, Kennedy mentioned the initiatives he began, including collaboration with AB Nexus, a Boulder and Anschutz research program, and the Transformation and Innovation program, a technology program on all four campuses.
“As I consider my upcoming transition from the University of Colorado, I think of my grandson and his spacecraft. It’s analogous to the building blocks we’ve put in place over the past two years that strengthen CU and prepare it for the future to ensure it remains on an upward trajectory,” he said.
Before Kennedy moved to the Denver area, he served as a Congressman in Minnesota from 2001-2007. In 2012, he became the President of University of North Dakota. Kennedy served for less than three years—1,079 days exactly—the shortest term in UND history, the Grand Forks Herald noted. Now, serving an even shorter term from July 2019-June 2021.
Like the CU system, Kennedy also served a controversial term at UND. He cut budgets and tore down campus buildings in North Dakota, the Herald said.
Holly Olivarez, an organizer from diversifyCUNow, a Boulder campus activism group, remains hopeful for the new transition, stating that the old system is outdated.
“Faculty aren’t connected to staff and regents aren’t connected to folks on campuses and more. The reason for this has everything to do with the structure of the system, which is yet another reason for change,” Olivarez said in a previous interview with The Bold.
Faculty, staff and students are waiting to see the hiring process for CU’s next president, as Kennedy’s hiring was quietly secured. In 2019, when CU searched for a new leader, Kennedy suddenly became the sole candidate for consideration.
CU Connections, a CU-affiliated online publication for faculty and staff, reported that former Vice President of Strategy, Todd Saliman will become interim president beginning July 1. Saliman previously served as the budget director for former Gov. Bill Ritter and an administrator for former Gov. John Hickenlooper.
