University of Coloardo at Boulder President Elizabeth Hoffman resigned Monday after a tumultuous several months due to several issues, including a heated football recruiting scandal.
According to Colorado Board of Regents member Tom Lucero, the football recruiting scandal has been wrought with accusations of sexual assault, misappropriations and many other claims.
“You name it, it has it,” Lucero said. “It’s just been an unfortunate incident for the university.”
According to a release, Hoffman made her decision believing the best interest of CU will be accomplished through her resignation. Hoffman’s resignation is effective June 30 or when the CU Board of Regents names a successor.
“I do not take this step lightly or hastily. I love CU,” Hoffman said. “I have given it my heart and soul these past five years. I deeply appreciate the enormous support and assistance I have received.”
According to Lucero, Hoffman has been the focal point of many of CU’s recent controversies, but the university needs someone who can effectively communicate the great story of CU.
“[Hoffman] has been unable to do that as of late,” Lucero said.
Chair of the CU Board of Regents Jerry Rutledge said in a statement Hoffman’s quality of character was clear.
“Today she put the interest of the university before that of her own,” Rutledge said. “All of the CU family owes President Hoffman a deep debt of gratitude.”
Hoffman will continue to be involved in several issues that face CU, including the Ward Churchill matter, a Title IX trial, reforms within the athletic department and football recruiting.
Although recent nationwide controversy surrounding CU professor Ward Churchill has created concerns at the university, Lucero said Hoffman’s decision was probably not heavily tied to Churchill.
“Ward Churchill, in the grand scheme of things is fairly insignificant,” Lucero said.
Churchill, an ethnic studies professor slated to speak at Hamilton College in New York, was refused after a Hamilton faculty member discovered a highly controversial essay Churchill had written after Sept. 11. The essay sparked several death threats aimed at Hamilton and Churchill, forcing college officials to cancel the speech.
The essay, “Some People Push Back,” calls many of the corporatists who worked at the World Trade Towers “Little Eichmanns.” Adolf Eichmann was the man Adolf Hitler turned to during World War II to implement Hitler’s “Final Solution.”
Churchill’s comments erupted in a firestorm as media and Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” picked up the story.
Additionally, the CU Board of Regents is currently investigating Churchill’s scholarly credentials, while the question of Churchill’s Native American heritage has also come under fire.
