Opinions range from good to bad to ugly
Several prominent members of UCSU believe that the decision of Bruce Benson to succeed Hank Brown as university president may have been rushed.
Benson, who chaired the Colorado Republican party from 1987 to 1991 and comes from a background in business and politics rather than education, is currently the sole finalist to succeed Brown when he retires. The Board of Regents announced Benson as the presidential finalist Jan. 30.
Since the announcement, many students and student leaders have come forward saying Benson was chosen too quickly. UCSU Tri-Executives Hadley Brown and Charles Gilford recently released a statement saying that the selection process had been too quick and that students were not involved enough.
“The university president carries the trust of millions of citizens who invest financially, emotionally, and intellectually in the institution,” Gilford said in the statement, dated Feb 1. “This is a public institution, and the process for selecting the president should be had in the light of day.”
UCSU Legislative Council Vice President Dustin Farivar echoed Gilford’s comments and stressed the importance of getting a wide range of input on whether Benson should be CU’s next president.
“There could be a greater opportunity for the larger community on campus to interact with him,” Farivar said.
Other UCSU members, like Representative Chance Heath, are more optimistic. Heath said the administration had acted properly and kept student interests in mind.
“The administration did what it felt was in the best interests of the students,” Heath said. “I have confidence in them.”
University spokesman Bronson Hilliard said he feels that Benson is a reasonable choice for the job of president and that he fits the modern criteria for a university president.
“The trend nationally is that university presidents are coming from the world of business and politics,” Hilliard said. “The old model of someone who rose up from the academic system is no longer valid. People are turning to different worlds for university leadership.”
Hilliard added that Benson was making a conscious effort to communicate with students. Benson canceled a previously planned trip to attend a student forum Monday Feb. 4th. He also said that it was up to students to get their message out if they felt they had been left out of the selection process.
“If [students] don’t feel like they’re being heard, it’s up to them to propose events and opportunities to communicate,” Hilliard said.
Intercampus Student Forum Chair Ryan Biehle, who also serves as UCSU chief of staff, said only having one student on the Presidential Search Committee was not sufficient to accurately represent student interests. He also said the selection process so far has gone too fast and more time was needed.
“Since the announcement.there’s been an unwarranted rush to push Benson through the public process, which is a process that cannot be overlooked,” Biehle said. “We as UCSU are asking for sufficient time for students to interact with Benson, which we feel is longer than two weeks.”
According to Brown and Gilford’s statement, finalists must be reviewed for at least 14 days. But Brown said that she would be willing to extend that time period in order to make sure Benson was a good choice for the university.
“We are ready to exceed the 14 day minimum, if that means a more thorough evaluation of the candidate, and we hope the university leadership accommodates our needs,” Brown said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu.
