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Mark Kennedy
The regents approved the buyout on a 8-1 vote Wednesday, with Regent Heidi Ganahl casting the only dissenting vote. His contract will end July 1.
The decision came less than a month after the
Kennedy’s appointment two years ago was a party-line decision made by a board that, at the time, was the only state body led by a Republican majority.
Concerns arose immediately among some in the CU community about Kennedy’s stance on hot-button social issues during his time as a lawmaker.
The conflict came to a head when the board this year flipped to a Democratic majority.
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Mark Kennedy answers audience questions April 24, 2019 at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Kennedy was the only finalist for the position of president at the University of Colorado when he was appointed in 2019.
The University of Colorado Board of Regents Wednesday approved a $1.3 million departure payment for President Mark Kennedy, who announced earlier this month that he was leaving after two years on the job. His departure date is July 1.
The “transition agreement” passed on an 8-1 vote.
The buyout covers the remainder of Kennedy’s contract, which began on June 15, 2019, and was set to run through June 30, 2022. Kennedy’s starting salary was $650,000, and it rose to $850,000 in subsequent years.