歪歪漫画

GRAND FORKS 鈥� University of North Dakota President Mark Kennedy has been announced as the sole finalist for the University of Colorado鈥檚 open president position, potentially ending his tenure at UND after nearly three years.

While the process is not yet finalized, Kennedy said Wednesday that it would be 鈥渉ighly unusual that it is not the final selection.鈥�

鈥淭his is really a very positive reflection on the University of North Dakota because there鈥檚 no way I would have been given this opportunity had it not been for all the great things the team here, in collaboration with our community and state partners, have advanced,鈥� he said.

Should he ultimately be appointed to the position, Kennedy will stay on at UND through June 15. He would be one of the shortest-serving presidents in university history.

Kennedy said he was headhunted, which means he was encouraged to apply for the position. He said the process has been going on for a couple months.

The current president at the University of Colorado, Bruce Benson, is retiring from the school after 11 years. Wednesday morning, the Board of Regents voted unanimously to make Kennedy the only finalist for the president鈥檚 position. The position also oversees four CU system campuses, including Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs, along with the Anschutz Medical 歪歪漫画.

Late Wednesday morning, Kennedy issued a statement that said he is 鈥渟orry to leave UND.鈥� Later, during a conference call with the Grand Forks Herald, he clarified, saying that 鈥渋t would be presumptuous to say it鈥檚 a done deal until after this (two-week) period. I maybe should have put 鈥榳e would be sorry to leave UND.鈥欌��

Waiting period

The Colorado system and Kennedy are now in a waiting period before any final decision can be made about the president鈥檚 position. Colorado law requires that a finalist鈥檚 name be public for 14 days before a candidate ultimately is appointed to the president鈥檚 position.

鈥淚t is highly unusual that it is not the final selection, but that option remains until the regents vote again in two weeks,鈥� he said. A date for that vote has not been set yet.

During the week of April 22, Kennedy and his wife, Debbie, will visit the four campuses in the system to meet with faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. These events will include open forums.

In March, the search for a new president in Denver narrowed to 10 candidates, according to reports by the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder. However, according to Colorado open-records laws, the finalists for the job were not named until Wednesday.

鈥淢ark Kennedy is a proven leader with a diverse set of skills and experiences in higher education, government and business that will allow him to build on the considerable success CU has experienced in recent years and take the university to even greater heights,鈥� Sue Sharkey, chair of the CU Board of Regents, said in a statement.

Kennedy said while he is in Colorado he will be using a portion of his allotted paid time off, so the stay will not be expensed to the university.

According to the University of Colorado salary database, the current president of the CU system makes $359,100 a year. Kennedy makes $365,000 a year in North Dakota.

Higher education leaders react

North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott congratulated the Kennedys 鈥渁s they embark on this exciting new chapter in their lives.鈥� Hagerott added he is 鈥渧ery appreciative鈥� of Kennedy鈥檚 work on UND鈥檚 five-year strategic plan, which Hagerott says is 鈥渁lready enhancing the university鈥檚 reputation as a model of innovation and future-facing education and research.鈥�

鈥淚 thank President Kennedy for enhancing the overall quality of the university and for his leadership during historically challenging budget times,鈥� Hagerott said. 鈥淚 wish the Kennedys all the best in their new roles in Colorado.鈥�

Don Morton, chair of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education, said Kennedy and 鈥渉is leadership team have established a strategic foundation for accelerated success鈥� over the long term at the UND.

鈥淚 fully appreciate the difficult decisions that had to be made in addressing recent major budget cuts,鈥� he said.

Morton also praised Kennedy for his work with online curricula and use of technology at the university.

鈥淎s a state, it is a big win for North Dakota when higher education leadership embraces technology disruption and then builds the curriculum to educate our future leaders. President Kennedy has positioned UND well for this challenge,鈥� Morton said.

Controversies

Kennedy鈥檚 time at UND has not been without criticism and controversy, including the cut of the women鈥檚 hockey team, the demolition of campus buildings and most recently his decision and then reversal regarding his chief of staff working remotely.

He notably has been publicly scorned by philanthropist Kris Engelstad McGarry, whose family donated the Ralph Engelstad Arena and has given millions of dollars to UND. She recently said the family will not donate directly to the university while Kennedy is president.

In February, Kennedy walked back a decision to allow chief of staff Angelique Foster to work remotely from Texas. Following public pressure, he changed that decision.

Wednesday, Kennedy discussed the controversy with the Daily Camera, the newspaper in Boulder.

"I fear that part of the reason that that article got as much attention as it did is some people couldn't understand how a young African-American woman from the South could be as qualified and worthy" to do the job as others, he told the Daily Camera. "I'm quite confident it is about more than remote working."

When asked for clarification by the Grand Forks Herald, UND spokeswoman Meloney Linder said Kennedy was not available to speak further, but said Kennedy 鈥渦nderstands there were many factors that people considered鈥� about the Foster controversy.

Taking the job

This is not the first time Kennedy has been in discussions for a position at another university.

In February 2018, Kennedy was announced as one of four finalists to be president at the University of Central Florida. Kennedy ultimately was not offered the position.

In February 2019, UND said Kennedy had no interest in jobs outside of the university. At that time, rumors circulated that Kennedy had applied to be the president of the University of Minnesota.

Kennedy said the idea of making a positive impact on approximately 67,000 students鈥� lives in Colorado was one reason he was drawn to the position. Additionally, the Colorado system does around $1 billion in research between its campuses.

鈥淩esearch is very important to me and, I believe, to the state and the nation as I have advocated for expanded investment in the state of North Dakota,鈥� he said.

Kennedy said he is proud of the work the university has done to further research, of the boost to its four-year graduation rate and of the public-private partnerships built during his time at UND.

Kennedy said if he could do one thing differently at UND, it would be to 鈥渘ever say never again.鈥� Early on in his tenure as president, before knowing how severe the budget cuts would be, Kennedy said the university would only consider cutting sports once. That supposed single round of cuts became deeper than Kennedy predicted.