Regents roundup: Gallegos elected chair; law and policy changes approved

Glen Gallegos, a Grand Junction Republican, was elected chair of the University of Colorado Board of Regents.

The chair of the nine-member board, which met June 13 and 14 at CU Boulder’s Williams Village, sets meeting agendas, assigns regents to board committees and serves as spokesperson for the board.

The board voted 8-0, with Regent Heidi Ganahl, R-Superior, abstaining.

“Thank you for your confidence,” Gallegos said to his fellow regents. “I’m thinking we will be able to work together for the betterment of the University of Colorado.”

Irene Griego, a Lakewood Democrat, was elected vice chair, 9-0. The vice chair assumes the chair’s duties in his absence.

The CU Board of Regents is elected by the people of Colorado, making it only one of four states in America that elects university governing boards. All other Colorado higher education governing boards are appointed by the governor. Regents are elected from each of Colorado’s seven congressional districts, with two members elected statewide.

In 2016, Griego, as chair, and Gallegos, as vice chair, became the first Latinos to hold the board’s top leadership spots in the university’s history.

Gallegos is a former educator and retired president of operations at a family-owned construction company. He was first elected to the board in 2012 and re-elected in 2018, representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses large sections of western and southern Colorado.

Gallegos worked for 26 years as a teacher, coach, principal and executive director of instruction for Eagle and Mesa County school districts. He retired in 1997 and joined the family construction business, The Gallegos Corp., as president of operations, overseeing multiple projects and a workforce of up to 1,000.

Griego represents the 7th Congressional District. Most of the regents come from the Front Range, where the bulk of Colorado’s population lives. The Board of Regents is responsible for the overall operations and budget of the university, in addition to selecting and evaluating the president.

Gallegos succeeds Regent Sue Sharkey, R-Castle Rock; Griego succeeds Regent Jack Kroll, D-Denver.

In other business at this month’s board meeting:

• The board approved proposed changes to Regent Laws - Article 14: Property and Facilities and Article 15: Treasury of the University; and Regent Policy 13.A: University Investments – effective June 13, 2019. The Budget and Finance working group had recommended only minor revisions to Regent Article 14 and no changes for Regent Article 15 or Regent Policy 13.A. These laws and policies were previously reviewed by University Counsel, the University Treasurer, and system and campus chief financial officers. For more detailed information, go to https://www.cu.edu/regents/rlpreview#tabs-2. For more detailed information concerning the ongoing review of Regent Laws and Policies, go to https://www.cu.edu/regents/rlpreview.
• The board approved plans for five capital construction projects at CU Boulder addressing major renovation and renewal of five campus buildings. New degrees in biomedical engineering from the CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science also were approved. Read more in CU Boulder Today.
• A new Human Physiology and Nutrition Department at UCCS earned approval. Read more in Communique.
• Two outgoing leaders of governance groups were honored by the board with resolutions of appreciation. Sierra Brown, a senior English student at UCCS, and Nancy Moore, CRM specialist for Admissions Services at UCCS, were recognized for their service as systemwide representatives. Joanne Addison, chair of faculty council, continues in her role after winning re-election. Read more in Communique.