DENVER—The House gave tentative approval Friday to a plan that would set up a search committee when a president or chancellor position comes open at a state-funded university and require the committee to make the names of the finalists public.
Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Boulder, said the public and college students deserve to know who will run their public institutions and the search for new leaders should be more transparent.
The bill directs the search committee to review the applications and pick at least three qualified candidates to interview and select three nominees to send to the governing boards of the institutions.
The House gave initial approval to the measure (House Bill 1369) after amending it to require all universities in the system be represented on the search committee. The bill faces a third reading before it goes to the Senate.
Weissmann said the bill isn’t based on specific issues, but the University of Colorado recently named University of Colorado-Boulder Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano the sole finalist for the chancellor’s job.
No date was set for making the appointment permanent.
DiStefano would replace G. P. “Bud” Peterson, who left to become president of Georgia Tech.
Colorado State University also is looking for a chancellor.
Larry Penley, who had that job, resigned in October.
