BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado-Boulder (CU) President Mark Kennedy announced he is leaving the school in the near future.
In a statement posted on the president's website, Kennedy said he and the CU Board of Regents have "entered into discussions about an orderly transition of the presidency of the university."
Kennedy was named the sole finalist for the position in mid-April 2019 and approved as the next president by the Board of Regents in May 2019. During the two weeks between Kennedy's nomination and the board's vote, students protested the choice.
Before getting into higher education, Kennedy worked as a business executive and Congressman representing the people of Minnesota from 2001 to 2007.
Students, in 2019, protested Kennedy being hired and cited his voting record while he was a congressman.
"He cosponsored a bill against same sex marriages and voted on a lot of things that were anti-women’s choice, anti-reproductive, anti-queer people," Rachel Ward told 9NEWS in 2019.
Ken McConnellogue, vice president of communications for CU, told 9NEWS in 2019 the Board of Regents "knew about several of the issues related to his voting record" but were satisfied with his responses when questioned.
"That was more than a dozen years ago," McConnellogue said. "That doesn’t mean it doesn’t give some insight into who he is but I think it’s also important to remember the job that he’s looking to do now. That is university president."
In his statement announcing his departure, Kennedy said, "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."
Before coming to CU, Kennedy was president at the University of North Dakota. Kennedy replaced Bruce Benson.
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