Governor signs CU-endorsed bills

A bill signed today by Gov. John Hickenlooper enables the University of Colorado president to designate an executive of the Anschutz Medical Campus as director of the University of Colorado Hospital Authority Board.

The change detailed in House Bill 11-1164 clarifies the composition of the hospital's board, which previously had been chaired by the chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver. M. Roy Wilson had served as chancellor; after he stepped down, Jerry Wartgow was named chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver, while Lilly Marks was named vice president for health affairs and executive vice chancellor for the Anschutz Medical Campus. Marks now will chair the hospital board.

CU President Bruce Benson restructured leadership last year as a way of addressing distinct challenges at each campus. The bill allows the current and future CU presidents to appoint the executive of the medical campus, regardless of future changes to leadership titles.

"This was a great bill to work on. The entire House and Senate passed it with unanimous support," said Kirsten Schuchman, senior director of state relations. "Our Colorado legislators are so supportive of the Anschutz Medical Campus and continually praised the work being done there."

Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, a sponsor of the bill, requested today's bill-signing ceremony at the governor's office, where several representatives of CU were slated to attend, including Marks; President Bruce Benson; Bruce Schroffel, president and CEO of University of Colorado Hospital; Dan Wilkerson, general counsel and secretary to the Board of Regents; Tanya Kelly-Bowry, vice president of government affairs; and Jeff Thompson, director of government and corporate relations at University of Colorado Hospital. Fields' fellow sponsors, Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, and Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, also were scheduled to attend.

Also signed by the governor at today's ceremony was House Bill 11-1169, aimed at eliminating barriers in information sharing between campus police and administrators pertaining to student safety at higher education institutions. The bill ensures that student privacy is maintained while optimizing the use of safety resources.