Fort Collins Coloradoan: When Colorado State University appointed Joyce McConnell as its first female president in late March, there was ample fanfare but little fuss.

That’s a stark contrast to the kerfuffle the University of Colorado in Boulder experienced as it hired Mark Kennedy as its new president weeks later.

Colorado law mandates that universities announce the names of presidential finalists 14 days prior to their formal selection by the university’s governing board.

CSU’s two-week wait was uneventful after the university announced McConnell as its pick. But during CU’s waiting period, Kennedy caught flack for his voting record while he represented Minnesota in Congress in 2000. Kennedy spent those 14 days meeting with students, alumni, donors, faculty members and community members.

According to the Denver Post, he didn’t always navigate those meetings well, bungling several questions. During an interview on Colorado Public Radio, when asked where he stood on affirmative action, Kennedy asked to skip the question.

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