Saliman named sole finalist for CU president job

BOULDER — Todd Saliman, the University of Colorado’s interim president since last year, was named the sole finalist for CU’s top job Tuesday by the university’s Board of Regents. 

Over the next two weeks, Saliman will meet with CU leaders and stakeholders, as well as participate in forums at all four of the system’s campuses. 

In late April, the board will reconvene to vote on whether to hire Saliman.

“The importance of this stage of the process cannot be overstated,” said board chairman Jack Kroll. “The board will not vote on the next CU president until considering all public input, which the board welcomes. We encourage everyone in the community to take part.”

Saliman, a CU graduate who was formerly the university’s chief finance officer, was unanimously chosen last July by the CU Board of Regents to serve as interim president, as the board searches for a replacement for Mark Kennedy. 

Kennedy, a former Republican congressman paid $1.3 million to step away, left CU after a tumultuous two years on the job. 

Kennedy took the reins of the system that manages the CU campuses in Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs, and the CU-Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, in the summer of 2019 after three years as president of the University of North Dakota.

Prior to that, he was an executive at Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) and Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), and held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007 while living in Minnesota.

However, Kennedy’s tenure was controversial before his swearing-in. He was approved for the role by a 5-4 vote in a process that was marred by opaqueness, as the Board of Regents refused to release a full list of finalists for the position.Controversy continued as the CU student government and CU-Boulder Faculty Assembly formally censured Kennedy in April based on what they viewed as leadership that failed to foster diversity and inclusion on campus.

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