Some students at Colorado State University at Pueblo are angry that they have been excluded from the search for a new systemwide chancellor, and they plan to protest today.
“We asked in December to be included in the search,” said Steve Titus, chief of staff for the Associated Students’ Government on the Pueblo campus.
Titus said it appears that Board of Governors chairman Doug Jones “is afraid we’ll release the names of the applicants who don’t get the job, which we won’t.”
But the students’ grievance with the board goes beyond selection of a replacement for former chancellor Larry Penley, who resigned in November.
“They also won’t give students a (voting) seat on the Board of Governors,” Titus said. “We even submitted a bill in the legislature last year to get two students on the board, which died 7-6 in committee.
“We want representation because we want to know what’s going on.”
Titus complained that students never got an adequate explanation about why Penley suddenly resigned. “No one would tell us one word why,” Titus said. “We want to know who’s getting paid what. We want to make sure there’s no illegal activity.”
The Board of Governors on Wednesday afternoon issued a statement saying the in-house search committee requires special skills to select a leader charged with managing an institution with a billion-dollar budget.
“The board held open forums to solicit and listen to students. (Non-voting) students on the board will be involved in the final discussions and decisions regarding finalists,” the statement said. “They will have a voice at that critical point in the process. The board has encouraged students to attend the search committee meetings.”
The in-house search committee held its first meeting Friday. Jones said the board hopes to appoint a chancellor for the CSU system, which includes campuses in Fort Collins and Pueblo and an online college, by July 1.
Titus said he expects 1,000 people to join the protest, which will be held today at noon at the fountain between the psychology building and Occhiato University Center on campus.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
