Benson + CU, Could Have Seen it Coming
| By Ralph T - Feb 21st, 2008 at 4:06 pm EST |
| Also listed in: Broom Brigade | Citizens Concerned | Citizens for Ethics | Colorado Citizens for Accountability | COSprings Progress | Douglas County | Evergreen Progressives | Greeley ProActives | Jefferson County | Larimer County | Longmont Area Progress | Loveland Progress | Southeast Colorado Progressives | Sportsmen for Progress | Veterans for Progress |
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Categories: Effective & Ethical Government, Electoral Reform, Education, Separation of Powers / Federalism, Research & Technology
Categories: Effective & Ethical Government, Electoral Reform, Education, Separation of Powers / Federalism, Research & Technology
Two things strike me as important lessons following the GOP coup of elevating Bruce Benson to CU President: that this could have been foreseen in the GOP indignation to removing BB from the Metro State Board, and that this is the price Colorado pays for GOP dominance of any governing board like the CU Regents. The end result remains that Colorado has reduced the CU President from being a distinguished post for an accomplished leader in high education to an opportunistic prize for a marketing driven and profit focused political activist.
Every Congressional District nominating assembly/convention must take a closer look at candidates for CU Regent. Removing the GOP Regents currently representing districts of Democratic members of the US Congress should now receive higher priority. The holder of a CU Regent's seat does matter.
It is not unreasonable that GOP operatives have been maneuvering to this conclusion from the moment BB was denied reappointment to the Metro State Board. Not a hard scenario to imagine: BB is out at Metro, Hank Brown is on a short calendar for CU, the CU Regents are majority GOP, and the GOP wants to desperately restore prestige to BB. Dick Wad**** must be barely able to hold back the gleeful celebration.
This yet another event that showcases the evidence that the future of higher education in Colorado is in doubt. While the supposed "flagship" university is now firmly under the control of GOP led business interests, we can only hope that the other public institutions maintain some higher commitment to academic ideals and pursuits.
The era of Bruce Benson's leadership of the Sate GOP saw the establishing of CSAP and the reduction of our children from people to industrial products to be managed like ISO-9000 commodities. What innovations and efficiencies can we expect BB to introduce at CU? Reversing the majority on the CU Regents board is a vital necessity to keep BB in check.
It's hard to conceive how, or if, Bruce Benson will be accepted by other University Presidents within and outside of Colorado. Every one of the incumbent Community College Presidents have more substantial academic credentials than BB and most are having great success with foundation fundraising.
This is a sad day for CU and Colorado. The CU system is arguably off my list of colleges for my kids or my plans for a PhD.
Every Congressional District nominating assembly/convention must take a closer look at candidates for CU Regent. Removing the GOP Regents currently representing districts of Democratic members of the US Congress should now receive higher priority. The holder of a CU Regent's seat does matter.
It is not unreasonable that GOP operatives have been maneuvering to this conclusion from the moment BB was denied reappointment to the Metro State Board. Not a hard scenario to imagine: BB is out at Metro, Hank Brown is on a short calendar for CU, the CU Regents are majority GOP, and the GOP wants to desperately restore prestige to BB. Dick Wad**** must be barely able to hold back the gleeful celebration.
This yet another event that showcases the evidence that the future of higher education in Colorado is in doubt. While the supposed "flagship" university is now firmly under the control of GOP led business interests, we can only hope that the other public institutions maintain some higher commitment to academic ideals and pursuits.
The era of Bruce Benson's leadership of the Sate GOP saw the establishing of CSAP and the reduction of our children from people to industrial products to be managed like ISO-9000 commodities. What innovations and efficiencies can we expect BB to introduce at CU? Reversing the majority on the CU Regents board is a vital necessity to keep BB in check.
It's hard to conceive how, or if, Bruce Benson will be accepted by other University Presidents within and outside of Colorado. Every one of the incumbent Community College Presidents have more substantial academic credentials than BB and most are having great success with foundation fundraising.
This is a sad day for CU and Colorado. The CU system is arguably off my list of colleges for my kids or my plans for a PhD.
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If you can't figure something out, look at the money trail.
CU wants money, BB promised it, he's in. Simple.
Looking back to May 2007, I wonder how satisfied those pushing for that action are with the current turn of events. According to the May 3, 2007 Rocky Mountain News report by Lynn Bartels that list includes Joan Fitz-Gerald, Sen. Gail Schwartz (D - Snowmass Village) and Sen. Sue Windels (D - Arvada).
Perhaps this is a lesson in long-range, strategic, planning. It may very well have been a better choice to leave BB where he was at Metro than to tolerate him for the foreseable future as CU President.
One of the key attributes of a leader (perhaps more so in military settings than we're seeing in the political arena) is to know their adversaries and get ahead of their decision-making and correctly anticipate and counter their actions. Clearly, Dick Wad**** and company won this round with quite a bit of Democratic support.