CSU Board Moves Ahead with National Chancellor Search
The Colorado State University System Board of Governors today took action on several items regarding the search for a new chancellor of the CSU System. At its public meeting in Denver, the Board voted to separate the position of CSU System chancellor from the president of the Fort Collins campus, and to move forward immediately with a national search for the chancellor position.
Historically, the position of chancellor and president were conjoined, formerly held by Larry Penley, who resigned in November 2008. The Board appointed Tony Frank to serve as interim president of the CSU Fort Collins campus. The chancellor role was left vacant. In December, the board came to a consensus that it was in the best interest of the university to separate the two posts.
Prior to the start of the search process, the board asked Diane Evans, former board member and Dick Robinson, former board member and CSU alumnus, to facilitate a series of open "stakeholder" forums to solicit input from around the state concerning the qualities and characteristics of a new chancellor. Over the last two months, forums were held in Pueblo, Sterling, Denver, and Fort Collins; video conferences were held in Alamosa, Durango and Grand Junction.
The board accepted the report of stakeholder input (to view report, go to www.csusystem.edu/chancellorsearch) about desired attributes of a new chancellor submitted by the co-chairs of the stakeholder forums, Evans and Robinson.
"The Board of Governors appreciates everyone’s input and has taken the comments into consideration in developing the chancellor position description," said Board Chair Douglas L. Jones.
Also on Wednesday, the board reviewed and discussed a position description for the chancellor, and voted to accept the description as part of the search process. Lastly, Jones appointed a search committee and three committee chairs to conduct a national search and recommend finalists to the board for the next chancellor of the Colorado State University System.
Committee members appointed to the search represent broad and diverse stakeholders from the CSU communities.
Search committee chairs:
Diane Evans
Former member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors, who also co-chaired the CSU-Pueblo presidential search that selected Joseph Garcia; Vice President, Land Title Guarantee Company.
Dick Robinson (’51)
Former chair and member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors and chair, CSU alumnus and donor, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Robinson Diary, LLC
Marguerite Salazar
Current member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors; President and Chief Executive Officer of Valley-Wide health Systems, Inc.
Committee members (listed alphabetically):
Mario Carrera
General Manager of Entravision Communications Corporation
Donald Elliman, Jr.
Director, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade; former Executive Vice President of Time Inc.; Publisher of People magazine; President and Publisher of Sports Illustrated; former President of Kroenke Sports Enterprises; past Chairman of the Board of Children’s Hospital in Denver.
Thomas Farley
Current member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors and former board chair; attorney and senior partner at Peterson & Fonda law firm.
Patrick Grant
Current member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors; President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Western Stock Show.
Ed Haselden
Current member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors; President and Chief Executive Officer of Haselden Construction.
John Ikard (’79)
Alumnus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins; President and Chief Executive Officer of Firstbank Holding Company; former President of the Denver Metro Chamber.
Jane Norton (’76)
Alumna of Colorado State University in Fort Collins; former Lieutenant Governor.
Patrick McConathy
Current member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors; Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Oil and Gas.
Tim Schultz (’88)
Alumnus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins; President of The Boettcher Foundation; former Commissioner of Department of Agriculture.
Rob Slyhoff
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
Penefield Tate (’78)
Alumnus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins; CSU donor and supporter of CSU athletics.
Dave Wood
President and Chairman of the board of the Griffin Foundation; legal counsel to Colorado State University Real Estate Foundation and the Colorado State University Foundation.
"The search for a new leader of the CSU System is a matter of great importance and opportunity for the CSU community," said Jones. "The committee members were selected for their value and understanding of CSU’s contributions to the state and their professional acumen to conduct the search with integrity and efficiency."
The board does not plan to retain a search firm, which will save up to $100,000. The committee members are volunteering their time to serve in this capacity; staff time to support the committee is considered part of the responsibilities of those individuals. The board expects costs associated with the search process to be minimal.
For more information and updates on the CSU System chancellor search, please visit www.csusystem.edu/chancellorsearch .
The Colorado State University System Board of Governors voting members are appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the State Senate, to serve up to two consecutive four-year terms. The board consists of nine voting members representing diverse backgrounds reflective of Colorado. These nine members each dedicate and volunteer their time to ensure effective management, accountability and responsible leadership of all the CSU System campuses – Fort Collins, Pueblo and the new online Global Campus.
Colorado State University’s three campuses attract about 30,000 new and returning scholars annually. Highly skilled graduates number more than 7,300 a year, and more than 198,000 alumni live throughout the state, nation and world.
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