University president to step down after being censured over ‘trail of tears’ comment

University of Colorado President Mark Kennedy announced this week that he will step down after being censured earlier this year by the school’s board of regents over his comments on diversity.

Kennedy sent a letter to the school’s community on Monday addressing his resignation from the position, citing recent changes to the school’s board of regents and a new focus. 

“The Board of Regents and I have entered into discussions about an orderly transition of the presidency of the University of Colorado in the near future. The Board of Regents has a new makeup this year, which has led to changes in its focus and philosophy,” Kennedy said in his letter.

This comes after the university faculty in March voted to censure Kennedy due to “his failure of leadership with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” 

The student body of the Boulder campus censured Kennedy over the same issues in April. 

One of the main reasons why Kennedy was censured was for using the term “Trail of Tears” during a faculty meeting in 2020.  

“On-campus is declining and online is growing. If we don’t get online right… we have a trail of tears in front of us,” Kennedy reportedly said in the meeting in the Denver Post report. 

The “Trail of Tears” refers to former President Jackson forcing members of the Cherokee Nation tribe to give up their land and migrate to Oklahoma, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Kennedy, who is a former GOP congressman, was hired to be the school’s new president in 2019, drawing protests from students and faculty due to his voting record against gay marriage and previous comments about diversity, according to The Denver Post.