Boulder Campus Staff Council Phone: 303-492-5473

565 UCB Email: staffcouncil@colorado edu

Administrative Resource Center A318B Web: colorado.edu/staffcouncil
Boulder, CO 80309-0565

CU Boulder Staff Council Resolution: Concern for Mark Kennedy’s Nomination for President of
the University of Colorado

Authors: John Kelly – NCWIT, Elizabeth Garfield - Office of Undergraduate Education

Signatories: Alan Slinkard, Barry Sparks, Betty Rasmussen

The Boulder Campus Staff Council,

Guided by CU Boulder’s 2030 Strategic Goals that call upon all students, faculty, staff, and community
members to, “be leader[s] in addressing humanitarian, social, and technological challenges in the 21st
century;” and the Colorado Creed, which states:
“As a member of the Boulder community and the University of Colorado Boulder, I agree to:
Act with honor, integrity and accountability in my interactions with students, faculty, staff and
neighbors.
Respect the rights of others and accept our differences.
Contribute to the greater good of this community...”;

Recognizing that the President of the University of Colorado System is the “principal executive officer” of
the university, and serves as the “spokesperson for the university and interpreter of university policy,” who
is tasked with representing and interpreting “the roles, goals, and needs of the university throughout the
state of Colorado;”

Reaffirming the need for executive leadership that has the courage to meaningfully address the systemic
inequities that substantially impact the classified, university, temporary, and contract staff members
employed at the University of Colorado;

Reaffirming Policy 10P: Diversity, adopted by the University of Colorado Board of Regents on April 20,
1995 and revised August 21, 2008, which states, “the board recognizes and affirms that a respect for
diversity requires a sincere willingness on the part of the institution to allow all its diverse stakeholders to
share in the decision making process, and that no individual or group shall be marginalized or
systematically excluded;”

Recognizing that Mr. Mark Kennedy has been named as the sole finalist for President of the University of
Colorado by the Board of Regents;

Noting with concern Mr. Kennedy’s legislative record during his 6-year tenure in the U.S. House of
Representatives where he sponsored and voted for legislation reflecting views contrary to the university's
stated values with regard to diversity and inclusion; voted to oppose workers’ protections; opposed
scientific inquiry; favored legislation aimed at reducing privacy rights; and blurred the lines between
religion and public education, by taking actions which include, but are not limited to:
i) Co-sponsoring (3) amendments to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as a union
between one man and one woman at the federal, state, and local level, effectively denying
tax, insurance, inheritance and other benefits to same sex couples;
ii) Restricting access to and funding for women’s reproductive health care;
iii) Preventing national funds from being used for Stem Cell Research which directly impacted
research at the University of Colorado and impeded scientific advancement;
iv) Voting against $84 million in grants for predominately Black and Hispanic colleges;
v) Denying non-emergency healthcare due to lack of funds for Medicare patients;
vi) Removing environmental protections for endangered species;
 vii) Approving legislation to allow electronic surveillance without a warrant;
viii) Requiring K-12 students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during class;

Emphasizing the impossible task of meaningfully participating in the decision-making process during the
short 14-day waiting period, with only one hour allotted for each campus forum, before the Regents will
vote on Mr. Kennedy’s nomination;

Taking into consideration The Open Letter to the Regents which was delivered to the Board of Regents on
April 15th, complete with 4,626 signatures from members of our campus community including: 1,869
students, 968 alumni, 434 faculty members, 287 parents, 239 staffers, 182 residents and 647 who didn't
identify their affiliations as well as The Open letter to the University of Colorado Community from Mr.
Kennedy authored and released on April 12th;

1. Calls Upon the University of Colorado Board of Regents to seek consent from the remaining top
candidates for the release of their names and profiles for consideration by the entire campus
community and invites all consenting candidates to take part in forums similar to those Mr. Mark
Kennedy is holding at each campus;

2. Strongly urges all students, faculty, and staff to recognize the importance of voicing their concerns
during Mr. Mark Kennedy’s forum on April 26th on Boulder’s campus and to participate in the
question and answer session during the event as well as the campus conversations being held that
day;

3. Respectfully requests that forum attendees be given ample time to ask questions without prior
vetting and with the opportunity for follow-up questions or comments;

4. Notes with strong concern University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees’ decision not to hire
Mr. Kennedy as president, citing his divisive political career as an unnecessary level of risk and
what has been described as a “funding disaster” at the University of North Dakota;

5. Invites Dr. Brenda J. Allen, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of
Colorado Denver, nominated by Boulder Faculty Council as an advisor to the presidential search
committee, to advise the Board of Regents on how Mr. Mark Kennedy’s appointment would impact
CU’s diversity and inclusion efforts;

6. Welcomes efforts made to lengthen the comment and review process by the Board of Regents to
enable the campus community to meaningfully participate in the decision-making process;

7. Directs Boulder Staff Council representatives to encourage widespread participation by staff

constituents and colleagues at open forums and through feedback processes already in place so that
more and diverse voices will be heard, and a wide array of opinions can be shared with the Board of
Regents prior to their final vote on this candidate;

8. Calls Upon the University of Colorado Board of Regents to formally withdraw their consideration of
Mark Kennedy for President of the University of Colorado.

Resolution passed by the Boulder Campus Staff Council on 18th day of April, 2019.

Jessica Gammey Gardner, Co-Chair Heather Martin, Co-Chair

 University of Colorado
Student Bar Association

DRAFT- A Resolution

Whereas the President of the University of Colorado System is the “principal executive officer” of the
university, “responsible for providing academic leadership,” serving as the “[primary] spokesperson
for the university and interpreter of university policy,” who is tasked with representing and
interpreting “the roles, goals, and needs of the university throughout the state of Colorado, throughout
the United States, and elsewhere,”1 and

Whereas the mission of the University of Colorado as a public research university is

“advancing research and knowledge, and state-of-the-art health care,” and

Whereas the Guiding Principles of the University require our school to:
“Promote and uphold the principles of ethics, integrity, transparency, and accountability,” and
“Promote faculty, student, and staff diversity to ensure the rich interchange of ideas in the
pursuit of truth and learning, including diversity of political, geographic, cultural, intellectual,
and philosophical perspectives,” and
“Ensure that the university is an economic, social, and cultural catalyst,” and

Whereas the Vision Statement of the university sees CU as “a premier, accessible and transformative
public university that provides a quality and affordable education with outstanding teaching, learning,
research, service, and health care,” which should “expand student success, diversity and the economic
foundation of the State of Colorado,” and

Whereas Mr. Mark R. Kennedy has been named as the sole finalist for president of the university
system by a unanimous recommendation of the Board of Regents, and will be automatically confirmed
May 1st, 2019, and

1
https://www.cu.edu/presidential-search/search-committee/charge-presidential-search-committee
Whereas Mr. Kennedy spent six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing views and
pushing nationwide policy that we find disturbing and offensive,2 including cosponsoring 3 resolutions
which proposed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one
woman at the federal, state and local levels,3 usurping the rights of states to govern matters of family
law in order to facilitate a policy which would deny fundamental rights to LGBT people, and

Whereas queer and trans students make up 11% of the graduate student body at CU- Boulder,4 with
similar numbers probable across the university system, and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy also voted for a number of measures which would deny reproductive justice by:
Restricting access to and funding for reproductive healthcare,
And which would equate the rights of fetuses with the rights of the people who
carry them,
And which would deny US foreign aid for family planning abroad,
And which would criminalize doctors for performing certain kinds of abortions; and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy also voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, and

Whereas the University of Colorado, particularly at the Anschutz campus, uses stem cells to research
cancer treatments, diabetes treatments, and

Whereas the University of Colorado system encompasses more than 100 researchers who focus on
stem cell biology,5 and

Whereas Mr. Kenned earned a 17% rating from the National Education Association by voting against
providing grants to predominantly Hispanic and Black colleges, while repeatedly introducing
resolutions honoring Catholic educational institutions, and

Whereas 25% of undergraduate students and approximately 20% of graduate students enrolled in the
University of Colorado system in 2017-2018 were students of color,6 and

2
http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Mark_Kennedy.htm;
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/mark_kennedy/400214
3
The text of the proposed amendment read, “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a
woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal
incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.” H.J.Res. 56 (108th Congress,
2004); H.J.Res. 106 (108th Congress, 2004); H.J.Res. 88 (109th Congress, 2006).
4
Graduate Student Social Climate Survey, Appendix D: Summary for Master’s Sutdents: Sexual Orientation
https://www.colorado.edu/oda/sites/default/files/attached-files/appendixe_0.pdf; and Appendix E: Summary for PhD
Students: Sexual Orientation https://www.colorado.edu/oda/sites/default/files/attached-files/appendixd.pdf (2014).
5
http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/centers/StemCell/research/researchprograms/Pages/researchp
rograms.aspx?&&p_Last_x0020_Name=Yi&&PageFirstRow=1&&View={C04CF99B-91CE-4F16-8D9C-
B574B0F6E94B}
6
https://www.cu.edu/doc/2017-18-cu-diversity-reportpdf
Whereas during his tenure as president of the University of North Dakota:
Mr. Kennedy cut the law school’s budget by 12%,7 putting the clinical program on hiatus and
“forcing law students down other routes to get the six experiential courses required for their
degree,”8 and

Mr. Kennedy proposed eliminating the summer term, eliminating courses with fewer than 8
students, freezing below market law faculty salaries, and a 9% tuition hike, and

Mr. Kennedy received feedback in 2019 from his supervisors at UND that he needs to improve
his “abilit[ies] to connect with, communicate and take input from stakeholders,”9 and

Whereas in February of 2018, Mr. Kennedy applied to become president of the University of Central
Florida, just 20 months into his tenure at the University of North Dakota, demonstrating a lack of
commitment to that campus, and

Whereas in March of 2018, the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees chose not to hire Mr.
Kennedy for the president position, citing his divisive political career as an unnecessary level of risk
and what has been described as a “funding disaster” at the University of North Dakota,10 and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy has spent eight years in academia of his 32-year career, and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy appears to have no ties to the Colorado community and has shown no previous
interest in living or working here, and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy’s most comparable employment experience has been president for 2 years and
10 months at a university with under 16,000 students enrolled and whereas the University of
Colorado System has more than 68,000 students enrolled and four separate campuses, and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy is not scheduled to visit the Boulder campus until the 13th day of the 14-day
waiting period which the Regents must observe before voting on his nomination, and

Whereas Mr. Kennedy is scheduled to visit each campus over the course of one hour,

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED THAT:

We reject the nomination of Mark R. Kennedy as the “sole finalist” for the president of the university
system without further action from the Administration, and

7
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4232511-und-releases-budget-cut-proposals
8
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4257379-case-education-und-school-law-mulls-tuition-hikes-light-budget-cuts;
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4215118-und-school-law-looks-tuition-increase-puts-pro-bono-clinic-hiatus
9
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4577201-kennedy-receives-midyear-review-chancellor; Though the
views in his review were generally positive, UND Chancellor Hagerott admitted he was not candid about concerns or
issues about Mr. Kennedy’s performance.
10
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4415499-mark-kennedy-not-chosen-central-florida-president
We request the following concerns be addressed directly by the Board of Regents, Presidential Search
Committee and/ or Mr. Mark R. Kennedy, appropriately:

Whether Mr. Kennedy personally holds the beliefs he expressed about reproductive rights,
queer individuals, and research and education, as characterized above, on the House floor and
through his voting record as a member of the House of Representatives now, and

If so, why the Board of Regents believes those views are in line with our University’s
mission, guiding principles, and vision; and

If not, why the Board of Regents believes Mr. Kennedy will authentically and
passionately represent CU students and researchers, given his vehement and continued
expressions of views which oppose those interests and repeated failure to publicly
rebuke his past views; and

Whether Mr. Kennedy’s cuts to legal and graduate education were recommended or mandated
by a committee, commission, or evidence-based procedure, since these cuts were made through
an opaque procedure, and

Why Mr. Kennedy’s Congressional history was excluded from presentations to the Board of
Regents before voting on his nomination,11 and

If the feedback form available made online for faculty, staff, students, and community
members will be formally considered as part of the confirmation process, and

If the Board plans on letting the clock run out, automatically accepting his nomination on April
1st, or if the Board of Regents plans on voting on his confirmation, and

When and where the Board of Regents plans to meet to vote on Mr. Kennedy’s nomination,
and

Whether a public session of that board meeting will convene before or after the executive
session.

Signed…

11
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/10/university-colorado-cu-president-mark-kennedy/
The CU Boulder Faculty Assembly called for an emergency meeting of the CU Boulder Faculty Senate to
discuss concerns regarding the sole finalist, Mark Kennedy, who was nominated to be the next president
of the University of Colorado. The meeting took place on April 17, 2019 in the Old Main Chapel.
Approximately 110 faculty were in attendance.

After much discussion, the following resolutions were approved by unanimous vote.

Statement of Concern by the CU Boulder Faculty Senate

Be it resolved,

The Faculty Senate expresses its grave concern about the quality and the qualifications of the finalist for the
position of President of the University of Colorado.

Motion Requesting Features to the Kennedy Open Forum by the CU Boulder Faculty Senate

In order to facilitate a free and frank exchange of ideas,

Be it resolved,

That the following features be incorporated into the Open Forum scheduled for Mr. Kennedy on Friday,
April 26, beginning at 10:00:

1. That Mr. Kennedy’s opening remarks be limited to 10 minutes.

2. That at least some of the questions asked Mr. Kennedy be presented directly by faculty without
moderation.

3. That any moderated questions for Mr. Kennedy be reviewed and approved beforehand by faculty selected
by the BFA.

4. That the Open Forum time be extended beyond the scheduled one-hour period.

Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) T. 303-492-6271

Regent Hall, Room 1B37, UCB 046 E. bfa@colorado.edu
University of Colorado Boulder W. www.colorado.edu/bfa
Boulder, CO 80309
 Resolution Regarding Presidential Finalist Mark Kennedy

[Date Resolution Passed]

April 17th, 2019

Sponsored by:

Juan Garcia Oyervides UGGS President

Varsha Rao UGGS VP of Internal Affairs

Sarah Fahmy UGGS VP of External Affairs

Elana Friedland UGGS Director of Communications

Danica Petrovska UGGS Social Chair

Emily Jensen UGGS CUSG Co-Senator

Robert Wilson UGGS Representative of Mechanical Engineering

Anthony Pinter UGGS Representative, INFO

Jennifer Reeve UGGS Representative of Geological Sciences

Matthew Vondrasek UGGS Representative, Law School

Elise Collins UGGS Representative, Theatre and Dance

Lange Simmons UGGS Representative, Physics

James Drumm UGGS Representative, Leeds School of Business

Authored by:
Matthew Vondrasek UGGS Law School Senator
Juan Garcia Oyervides UGGS President
Sarah Fahmy UGGS VP of External Affairs

Resolution Summary
The purpose of this resolution is to express graduate and professional students’ concerns with the
selection of Mark Kennedy as the sole finalist for the office of president for the University of Colorado
System. The United Government of Graduate Students (UGGS) demands closer attention and an
expansion of the vetting process to ensure the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (the
Regents) appropriately incorporates student input.
Whereas,​ Mr. Mark R. Kennedy has been named the sole finalist for president of the university
1
system by a unanimous recommendation the Regents, and without significant input from graduate or
undergraduate students,

Whereas, ​ Mr. Kennedy spent six years in the U.S. House of Representatives pushing nationwide,
2
highly controversial policy, including three resolutions that proposed a constitutional amendment
3
defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman at the federal, state and local levels,
usurping the rights of states to govern matters of family law in order to facilitate a policy which would
deny fundamental rights to LGBTQ+ people, and queer and trans students make up 11% of the
4
graduate student body at CU Boulder,

Whereas, ​Mr. Kennedy also voted for a number of measures which would deny reproductive justice
by restricting access to and funding for reproductive healthcare and which would equate the rights of
5
fetuses with the rights of the people who carry them, and voted against the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act of 2005, and the University of Colorado, particularly at the Anschutz campus, uses
6
stem cells to research cancer treatments and diabetes treatments, and the University of Colorado
7
system encompasses more than 100 researchers who focus on stem cell biology,

Whereas,​ during his tenure as president of the University of North Dakota (UND)
Mr. Kennedy received feedback in 2019 from his supervisors at UND that he needs to improve his
8
“abilit[ies] to connect with, communicate and take input from stakeholders,”

Whereas,​ in February of 2018, Mr. Kennedy announced his application to become president of the
University of Central Florida, 20 months into his tenure at the University of North Dakota, and in
March of 2018, the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees chose not to hire Mr. Kennedy

1
​https://www.cu.edu/news/university-colorado-names-mark-r-kennedy-presidential-finalist
2
​http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Mark_Kennedy.htm​;
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/mark_kennedy/400214
3
The text of the proposed amendment read, “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a
woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal
incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.” H.J.Res. 56 (108th Congress,
2004); H.J.Res. 106 (108th Congress, 2004); H.J.Res. 88 (109th Congress, 2006).
4
Graduate Student Social Climate Survey, Appendix D: Summary for Master’s Students: Sexual Orientation
https://www.colorado.edu/oda/sites/default/files/attached-files/appendixe_0.pdf​; and Appendix E: Summary for PhD
Students: Sexual Orientation ​https://www.colorado.edu/oda/sites/default/files/attached-files/appendixd.pdf​ (2014).
5
​https://www.congress.gov/member/mark-kennedy/K000358
6
​http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/centers/StemCell/Pages/StemCell.aspx
7
http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/centers/StemCell/research/researchprograms/Pages/researchp
rograms.aspx?&&p_Last_x0020_Name=Yi&&PageFirstRow=1&&View={C04CF99B-91CE-4F16-8D9C-B574B0F6E94
B}
8
​https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4577201-kennedy-receives-midyear-review-chancellor​; Though the
views in his review were generally positive, UND Chancellor Hagerott admitted he was not candid about concerns or
issues about Mr. Kennedy’s performance.
for the president position, citing his divisive political career as an unnecessary level of risk and what
9
has been described as a “funding disaster” at the University of North Dakota,

Whereas,​ Mr. Kennedy’s employment experience is not comparable to the experience necessary to
lead the University of Colorado System which has more than 68,000 students enrolled and four
separate campuses,

Whereas,​ Mr. Kennedy's visit to CU Boulder does not allow sufficient time for meaningful
10
engagement with graduate or undergraduate students,

Whereas,​ Mr. Kennedy is not scheduled to visit the Boulder campus until the 13th day of the 14-day
waiting period which the Regents must observe before voting on his nomination.

9
​https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4415499-mark-kennedy-not-chosen-central-florida-president
10
​https://www.cu.edu/presidential-search/finalist-open-forum-schedule
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the United Government of Graduate Students
THAT:

Section 1: ​The Regents withdraw the nomination of Mark Kennedy as the “sole finalist” for the
president of the university system.

Section 2:​ The Regents give further consideration to Mark Kennedy's contribution to the University of
Colorado’s values.

Section 3:​ The Regents give further consideration to the possible impacts of Mark Kennedy on science
research and its role as a Public Research One Institution.

Section 4: ​The Regents exercise further review of Mark Kennedy’s employment history and
performance during his tenure at the University of North Dakota.

Section 5: ​The Regents consider the impact of Mark Kennedy’s controversial public profile on
fundraising initiatives.

Section 6: ​The Regents give further consideration to Mark Kennedy’s ability to lead a diverse
community of the size and breadth of the University of Colorado.

Section 7: ​The Regents extend the vetting process of Mark Kennedy’s nomination to include
significant input from undergraduate and graduate students and the CU Boulder campus communities.

Section 8: ​The Regents allow for and provide instances for undergraduate and graduate students to
interact with Mark Kennedy during his visit to CU Boulder.
 _______________________

Juan García Oyervides

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED GOVERNMENT

OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

_______________________

Varsha Rao

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED GOVERNMENT

OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

_______________________

Sarah Fahmy

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED GOVERNMENT

OF GRADUATE STUDENTS
 Faculty Council t 303 860 5607
1800 Grant, Suite 745 f 303 860 5725
035 UCA facultycouncil@cu.edu
Denver, CO 80203

Dear members of the CU Community,

As we prepare for Mark Kennedy’s campus visits, many questions and concerns have been
raised about the search process. Faculty Council remains truly disappointed that our search
committee did not include one of our Chief Diversity Officers (CDO). In fact, this past October,
Faculty Council petitioned the Board of Regents to include Dr. Brenda J. Allen, who was willing
to serve in this capacity on the committee. While the Board added additional members to the
committee, it did not add a CDO. This left the committee without a member with the specific
training and knowledge that best practices in Diversity and Inclusion require us to have on
search committees. The effects of this decision continue to reverberate.

Regardless, Mark Kennedy has been chosen by the Board as our finalist and will be given
multiple opportunities to be heard.

Many of our leaders are encouraging us not to judge Kennedy on his past voting record but
rather to judge him on his record since leaving Congress. We are inclined to do so except
where his actions as a congressional candidate and elected official contribute to a pattern of
behavior that has carried over into his academic career.

Much of the unrest the CU Community is currently experiencing can be addressed in two ways.
First, make the rest of the search process as transparent as possible. In order to do so, we call
on our leaders to limit Kennedy’s formal presentation at our forums to 10 minutes so that we
have ample time to ask questions on a wide range of issues. We also call on our leaders to
make every single feedback form involving Mr. Kennedy available for public review.

Second, any person seeking to be the next president of CU should be willing to make a written
and public statement supporting three defining principles laid out in the revised Article 5 of
Regent Laws and Policies1. The first concerns shared governance: “It is a guiding principle of
the shared governance recognized by the Board of Regents that the faculty and the
administration shall collaborate in major decisions affecting the academic welfare of the
university.” The second is the right of faculty to academic freedom: “Academic freedom is the
freedom to inquire, discover, access, publish, disseminate, and teach truth as the individual
understands it, subject to no control or authority save the control and authority of the rational
methods by which knowledge is established in the field.“ The third is the right of faculty to the
curriculum: “The faculty shall have the principal role in originating academic policy and
standards related to: the initiation and direction of all courses, curricula, and degree offerings.”

Finally, we call on the person selected as our new president to administer the nationally normed
and validated climate survey already approved by our Board every two years and to take
personal responsibility for ensuring a climate of equity and inclusion for all members of our
community.

Sincerely,

The Executive Committee of Faculty Council, 2018-2019

Joanne Addison, Chair, Faculty Council Jacqueline Jones, Chair, Anschutz Faculty Assembly
Maja Krakowiak, Vice Chair, Faculty Council Robert Ferry, Boulder Faculty Assembly
Tamara Terzian, Secretary, Faculty Council Melissa Benton, President, UCCS Faculty Assembly
Peter Anthamatten, Chair, Denver Faculty Assembly

1 https://www.cu.edu/doc/article-5-policy-5-finalpdf
 Resolution Status: PASSED on Special Order

University of Colorado Student Government

Legislative Council

April 11th, 2019 90 LCR 05 – A Resolution in

Opposition of the CU Presidential
Finalist Search and Vetting
Process

Sponsored by:
Winter Roybal Environmental Design Co-Senator
Erick Gudvangen-
Environmental Design Co-Senator
Sherwood
Emmanuel Byarm Representative-At-Large
Jemil Kassahun Representative-At-Large
Jessie Steinbaum Senator for the School of Education
A-B LoBianco Senator for the Leeds School of Business
Emily Jensen Senator for UGGS
Legislative Council President | Senator for the Leeds School of
Josh Ney
Business
Logan Dougherty Senator for the College of Music
Samantha Martin Senator of College of Arts and Sciences
Sarah Altshuler Senator of College of Arts and Sciences
Sasha Hall Senator of College of Engineering
Kelly Gazarik Senator of College of Engineering
Kate Sullivan Representative-At-Large
Michael Robinson Representative-At-Large | Speaker of Representative Council
Emma Perkins-
Representative-At-Large | Vice President of Legislative Council
Johnson
Kendalia Spencer Senator for the College of Music
Chloe Sonne Representative-At-Large

Authored by:
Winter Roybal Environmental Design Co-Senator
Erick Gudvangen-
Environmental Design Co-Senator
Sherwood
 A Resolution in Opposition of the CU Presidential Finalist Search and
Vetting Process

Resolution History

Upon the announcement of President Bruce Benson’s retirement as the President of

the University of Colorado, a presidential search committee was formed on October
24th, 2018. On November 1st, CU Student Government passed a resolution in
opposition of the make-up of the search committee pushing for more student voice.
An undergraduate student was then added to the committee on November 8th. After
months of searching, the committee narrowed down the search to 10 candidates for
interviews on March 7th. The University of Colorado Regents announced Mark
Kennedy as the singular finalist for president on April 10th beginning the 14-day
vetting process. Kennedy will be visiting all four CU campuses between April 22nd
to April 26th.

Resolution Summary

In summary, this resolution aims to express CU Student Government’s opposition to

the search and vetting process for the President of the University of Colorado. While
there was student representation in this process, the singular undergraduate student
on the search committee was not from CU Boulder, the university’s flagship campus.
With the announcement of Mark Kennedy as the only finalist on April 10th, 2019,
the Regents of the University of Colorado have the opportunity to vote on his
appointment as early as April 29th. Mark Kennedy is not scheduled to visit CU
Boulder and meet with students until April 26th, 2019, only one business day prior
to his potential appointment to the position. The April 26th forum with students,
moderated by Chancellor DiStefano, is scheduled to last only one hour, further
stifling student voice.

Whereas, the President of the University of Colorado represents our school to the
state, the nation, the greater public, and the world.

Whereas, our university’s mission and guiding principles envision the University of
Colorado as a premier research institution which values transparency, diversity, and
accountability.

Whereas, the University of Colorado Presidential candidate search process has

yielded Mr. Mark R. Kennedy as the sole finalist, prohibiting adequate public and
student input into the final selection process.
Whereas, Mr. Kennedy is not scheduled to visit the Boulder campus until just before
the end of the 14-day waiting period which the Regents must observe before voting
on his nomination.

Whereas, we believe the 14-day waiting period and open forum process are not
sufficient to receive and legitimately consider feedback from faculty, staff, and
students at all four university campuses.

Whereas, Mr. Kennedy is scheduled to visit each campus over the course of one hour
in a forum moderated by the Chancellor.

Whereas, a petition rejecting Mark Kennedy has received 4,626 signatures,

including 1,896 signatures from students and on April 15, 2019, a student
demonstration took place on Norlin Quad, with an estimated attendance of over 300
students.

THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED by the Legislative Council of the University

of Colorado Student Government, THAT:

Section 1: Legislative Council formally recommends and encourages the Regents of

the University of Colorado to withhold their votes until after Mark Kennedy has
visited all four campuses for more than just one day, spending ample time
communicating with students, staff, and faculty. A single day visit is not enough time
to provide meaningful engagement for all the stakeholders at each campus.

Section 2: Legislative Council formally rejects the nomination of Mark R. Kennedy

as the “sole finalist” for the president of the university until further action from the
Regents is taken to remedy the lack of student input and provide specific reasoning
for the selection of a sole candidate.

Section 3: This resolution shall take effect upon final passage by the Legislative
Council and upon either obtaining the signatures of two Tri-Executives or the lapse
of six days without actions by the Tri-Executives.
 Vote Count:
4/18/19 PASSED on Special Order 17/0/0

_______________________ ________________________
Josh Ney David Kidd
Legislative Council President Student Body President

_______________________ ________________________
Olivia Wittenberg Jake Reagan
Student Body President Student Body President