Hank Brown is not afraid to make unpopular decisions. He expects his charges to be team players who buy into his program. Acutely goal oriented, he begins his workday at 4 a.m.
These are the images of Brown as a leader that emerged last week after he was appointed the University of Colorado’s interim president to bring luster to a state flagship shriveled by months of controversy.
Many observers think the former U.S. senator will emerge as CU’s permanent president.
“I’m not so sure he won’t be the permanent president,” said former Sen. Bill Armstrong, who served in Congress with Brown in the 1980s. “I think it’s a brilliant move on the part of the regents to select him for the sake of the university.”
Brown has yet to commit to major changes, but those who know him best expect he will heap a heavy dose of tough love on his beloved CU, where he earned two degrees, played football and wrestled and was student-body president.
He also met his wife, Nan, there, and one of his three children graduated from CU.
On Aug. 1, he’ll take over a school beset by controversies ranging from a football recruiting scandal to an inflammatory professor – both of which have made international headlines.
“He’s willing to tackle tough issues. He did it at the University of Northern Colorado, he did it at the Daniels Fund and he sure is expected to do that at the University of Colorado,” said John Saeman, chairman of the Daniels Fund, where Brown is chief executive.
“While he understands individual effort from his athletic days at CU, he also expects teamwork. You have to be on Hank’s team. He expects you to buy into his program.”
A fiscal conservative, Brown is known to act on his philosophy. He is expected to take a hard look at the CU system’s $1.8 billion budget and already has talked of combining the roles of university president and Boulder campus chancellor.
He orchestrated an aggressive cost-cutting plan at the billion-dollar Daniels Fund, which became the Rocky Mountain region’s largest foundation upon the death of cable magnate Bill Daniels in 2000. He closed offices in three states and laid off one-third of the staff in 2003.
Two senior executives resigned over the cuts and a board member, New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Daniels’ niece, had harsh words for Brown. “There’s a difference between bean-counting and philanthropy,” Denish said at the time. She did not return calls for this story.
“Yes, that was a very difficult time but what impressed me so much about Hank was the grace and stability in which he approached that very difficult situation,” said Kristin Donovan, a Daniels Fund vice president who commented only after gaining Brown’s permission. “… It did ultimately result in more than $2 million that was able to be dedicated to grants and scholarships.”
Allen Huang, UNC’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, said Brown is “not afraid to do what may be unpopular because he has a vision and many people do not see what he sees.”
As UNC president from 1998 to 2002, Brown eliminated sentimental institutions such as the public radio station and lab school, a 110-year-old training ground for student teachers. He also cut dozens of administrative positions.
As a result, state funding for classroom instruction increased to 54 percent from 47 percent, Huang said, and faculty salaries were raised.
“His focus was on what counts most – educating the students,” Huang said. “Initially most people’s reaction was not very supportive, but in hindsight he made good decisions.”
Faculty members are divided over Brown’s time at UNC. Those contacted for this story either would not let their names be used or did not return calls. He made unpopular budget cuts and upset professors with a moratorium on one-semester sabbaticals. When he left, he recommended his vice president and a former corporate colleague, Kay Norton, to be his successor without faculty input.
“There was a feeling the faculty was completely ignored,” history professor Joan Clinefelter said at the time.
But Donovan said Brown has “an open-door policy” at the Daniels Fund. “You don’t need an appointment to see Hank.”
That could change at CU, an organization with 52,000 students and 24,000 employees spread across four campuses.
Brown said his “leadership style depends on the institution involved.”
Academia, he said, requires a much greater effort to get a consensus, yet someone has to make the final decision.
Typically, university faculty endorse a scholar rather than a businessman or politician as president. Brown has a law degree but not a Ph.D.
Yet several big-time politicians have made the transition, said Sheldon Steinbach, general counsel for the American Council on Education. They include former Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste, president of Colorado College, and former Rep. David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma.
“In a public university where you need to deal with the legislative process, do smart things at the state Capitol and raise money, who better to turn to than an old hand at doing all the above?” Steinbach asked.
Brown’s charisma serves him well as a CEO, but he’s also a man of substance, Armstrong said.
“While Hank has plenty of charisma, he always knows what he’s talking about. He masters the material in front of him. When he was in Congress, he got a master’s in taxation while other guys were going to cocktail parties at night.”
Staff writer Art Kane contributed to this report.
Staff writer Dave Curtin can be reached at 303-820-1276 or dcurtin@denverpost.com.
