University of Colorado President Mark Kennedy is beginning discussions about leaving his post as leader of the four-campus system, Kennedy announced Monday, two weeks after Boulder faculty and students voted to censure him for his actions and comments around diversity.
Kennedy, a former Republican congressman who was selected as CU president in a contentious process that ended with a split, party-line vote by the university’s Board of Regents in May 2019, will transition out of the role in the “coming months,” according to a news release announcing the decision.
“The Board of Regents and I have entered into discussions about an orderly transition of the presidency of the university in the near future,” Kennedy said in a statement. “The Board of Regents has a new makeup this year, which has led to changes in its focus and philosophy. We have made great progress in each of the major areas we identified when I was honored to become president, including strategic planning; diversity, equity and inclusion; fundraising; online education; and technology transformation. Much of that progress came in the face of the pandemic. I appreciate the many smart and dedicated people who work hard every day to help the university meet its mission to serve its students and the state. CU is on a positive trajectory.”
The CU Board of Regents, which switched from a Republican to a Democratic majority for the first time in nearly 40 years after the November election, said it will move quickly to determine the next steps.
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