In a May 12th letter obtained by Face The State, CU President Bruce Benson updated faculty, staff and students on his first nine weeks at the helm of the university.
Benson writes: "My focus has been on attracting increased public and private funding to our university."
FTS Staff PhotoCU President Bruce Benson listens to Gov. Bill Ritter, top, during a press conference last month.
And focused he has been.
While the former oil baron faced endless criticism from Lefty activists like Michael Huttner (who took a grilling from Rocky Mountain News editorial page editor Vincent Carroll today), who opposed his candidacy, Benson has been a steadfast and persuasive voice for more government funding of higher education.
And while in his letter, Benson repeats the oft-told urban legend that CU's commitment to higher ed funding is dead last in the nation, we've got to hand it to him. His first two months demonstrate a renewed energy to his office, desperately needed after years of seemingly endless scandals.
As Benson notes, the Colorado legislature raised direct funding for CU by $14.1 million, with an additional $90 per student going toward the state's College Opportunity Fund, for a total of $2,750 per student. Capitol construction appropriation rose to $47.2 million, with $5.2 million for controlled maintenance. Federal Mineral Lease legislation will bring in an additional $63 million for completion of a science building at the Auraria campus in Denver.
Interestingly, Benson endorses a proposal by Gov. Bill Ritter to impose a severance tax increase on oil and gas production that would fund new scholarships. His support, however, remains somewhat tepid. "While I support scholarships and the Governor's proposal, we must also work to ensure we can operate our university," he writes. "That means securing new operating revenue, which is a primary focus for Governor Ritter and me. We have had several talks on the issue and will continue to push for more funding. As ballot proposals become clearer, we will determine CU's role in any advocacy, within parameters of the Fair Campaign Practices Act."
Benson hasn't just been lobbying Colorado lawmakers for new money. According to his letter, he has also trekked to Washington where he met with all members of Colorado's congressional delegation, as well as White House aides.
In recent weeks, CU's Anschutz medical campus also netted three gifts for a total of $30 million, bringing this year's total fundraising efforts to $100 million. Benson is now focused on breaking last year's record of $133.5 million.
In moving forward, we can only hope that Benson will have the courage to address the giant, obese, obscene elephant in the room - higher ed costs continue to rise at rates far greater than inflation. The reason: Our universities continue to expand administrations - especially in the name of "diversity" - while funding for in-class instruction decreases relative to other priorities.