The University of Colorado system is facing major challenges when, in July 2006, Bud Peterson steps into his new role as Chancellor of the Boulder campus. In recent years, the University of Colorado has been rocked by a series of highly publicized controversies, including tuition hikes, football scandals, and inflammatory remarks by faculty member Ward Churchill. At the state level, these controversies have occurred in a climate of increasing demand for accountability and decreasing state appropriations. Performance funding measures and a college voucher program have accompanied a dramatic drop in higher education funding, from 20% to 10% of the state budget. With the recent appointment of a new president and two new chancellors, the University of Colorado system is also undergoing a major leadership transition. The new president has proposed several changes: moving his office from Boulder to Denver to be in closer proximity to the state legislature, reshaping the role of the Board of Regents to focus on system overview, and changing the hiring process for senior administrative positions to increase accountability. As Chancellor Peterson prepares for a Board of Regents meeting, he wonders how to lead his campus successfully in light of the current campus and state climate.
Subjects: Leadership, Accountability, Organizational Structure, Retrenchment
Setting: Large Public
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