CU regents nominate interim president Todd Saliman as sole finalist to be president

The University of Colorado’s Board of Regents on Tuesday deliberated in a closed meeting and then voted unanimously to nominate interim president Todd Saliman as the sole finalist to be CU’s next president.

Regent board chairman Jack Kroll declined to reveal candidate visions for the future of CU, saying only in an interview, that each of the five candidates regents interviewed presented “a compelling vision” for the university.

“I’m not really at liberty to say what was discussed,” Kroll said.

Saliman was nominated, he said, because regents were impressed with his familiarity with budget issues and CU’s strategic plan and had demonstrated an ability to work well with the elected regents.

CU’s nine governing regents voted publicly in a 10-minute meeting following their closed session to nominate Saliman, who has run the four-campus CU system since last June when the former president Mark Kennedy resigned after a two-year tenure marred by controversy. CU’s faculty censured Kennedy for “failure to lead” on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

CU officials cited pledges of confidentiality as the basis for their secrecy in conducting deliberations behind the scenes. They said this was a personnel matter.

Over the next two weeks, Saliman is expected to meet with community groups and tour the CU campuses meeting with students and faculty. The regents then will vote on a final selection before school’s out for the summer.

The vice-chair of the board Sue Sharkey, who also helped lead CU’s 19-member search team, said she was “impressed with everyone we met. But one candidate stood out.” She cited Saliman’s record as budget director for Colorado and as chief financial officer for CU.

Saliman “demonstrated his ability to work well with the board and bridge the gap between the elected officials and the broader university community.”