CU President Mark Kennedy discussing future departure from system

May 10—University of Colorado President Mark Kennedy is discussing his departure from the four-campus system with the Board of Regents, CU announced Monday, which would make his contentious tenure among the shortest in university history.

Kennedy and the Board of Regents are discussing a transition of the presidency "in the near future," according to a statement. He has not resigned, said spokesperson Ken McConnellogue, but is talking with the Board of Regents about separating from the university.

"The board has a new makeup this year, which has led to changes in its focus and philosophy," Kennedy wrote in a statement posted online. "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; online education; and technology transformation."

Kennedy, 64, was hired in 2019 in a split vote of the Board of Regents amid backlash from the campus communities, with five Republican regents voting to hire him and four Democratic regents voting against. The board flipped to a Democratic majority in January for the first time in more than 40 years.

Three CU Boulder student and faculty groups have voted to censure Kennedy in recent weeks, including the United Student Government and Boulder Faculty Assembly, over claims of failed leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion.

The censures cited issues including Kennedy comparing the university not succeeding at online education to a "trail of tears" and his effort to vet campus statements on race, LGBTQ+ issues and climate change through his office.

The Board of Regents will meet soon to discuss next steps, according to a news release. An interim president has not been selected, and the board will conduct a national search for the next permanent president.

"The Board of Regents will move quickly to determine our next steps and will work closely with President Kennedy in the coming months to ensure an orderly transition of the presidency. He has led CU through the pandemic and has been making progress on key initiatives we agreed to, so the university is in a good position," Board Chair Glen Gallegos and Vice Chair Lesley Smith said in a statement. "We appreciate President Kennedy's contributions and dedication."

In an interview, Gallegos described Kennedy's upcoming departure as a mutual discussion between Kennedy and the board.

CU Boulder students on Monday said while they were glad to hear about Kennedy leaving, other issues still need to be addressed.

"Just because President Kennedy is going to be leaving doesn't mean that there's not going to be issues of transparency and accountability with administration," said CU Boulder Representative Council Speaker Shubhashika Singh, who wrote the student government censure. "I think at the end of the day they need to not ignore student voices and demands and straight up be transparent with us."

Student body President Molly Frommelt said she saw the censure as an opportunity for Kennedy to address student grievances, but said the student government did not hear from Kennedy after the censure.

"What we saw was a proper example of how governing groups could leverage their power and speak to power," she said.

Frommelt also acknowledged the work of student groups like diversifyCUnow, which published a timeline on March 15 of Kennedy's "racist/problematic statements and actions" before and during his tenure at CU. DiversifyCUnow and student government leaders co-authored a letter on April 15 calling for the termination of Kennedy's contract, which has been signed by 683 people.

In an email, graduate student and diversifyCUnow organizer Holly Olivarez said she feels "satisfaction in knowing a white male leader is being held accountable for his harmful behavior."

"I feel hopeful this is just the beginning of the change we all say we want: an equitable society," Olivarez said.

Olivarez and Singh both spoke of the power of students and the campus community to hold university leaders accountable.

"Student voices are powerful when we're united," Singh said. "The administration shouldn't ignore us, because we're capable of great things on campus. At the end of the day this is our campus, too, and if we are not okay with (certain) factors on campus, we're going to make it known and fight for change and that's exactly what we did."

The nature of Kennedy's departure is "to be determined," Gallegos said, but Kennedy's employment contract lays out several possibilities for his exit.

If he leaves CU to take a job at another higher education institution before his contract ends in July 2022, that college or university will pay CU a recruiting fee of between $250,000 and $500,000, depending on when Kennedy leaves.

If he resigns for good reason — defined as having his duties reduced or compensation changed without his consent or the Regents violating his employment contract — or if he's fired without cause, CU is required to pay his $850,000 annual salary for the remainder of his contract.

If Kennedy is fired for cause, CU does not have to pay him beyond his last day of employment.

Kennedy's tenure will be among the shortest in CU's history, with the exception of interim presidents appointed over the years. Most CU presidents are in the role for four or more years. Kennedy's predecessor, Bruce Benson, was at CU's helm for 11 years.