Benson to speak to state finance group

President invited to Friday meeting of Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission

University of Colorado Photo

CU President Bruce D. Benson

University of Colorado President Bruce Benson was invited to present to the state's Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission, which will meet on Friday.

The commission, established by Gov. Bill Ritter, comprises legislators and other Coloradans with an interest in addressing the state's sometimes-conflicting budget provisions.

Benson was invited after a previous presenter to the commission, attorney Herb Fenster, suggested that CU could be privatized. Additionally, former CU President Hank Brown told the commission that the university could operate more efficiently if it could be free of some burdensome state red tape.

Benson said the invitation is an opportunity to share higher education's perspective.

"Our fiscal challenges are about more than CU, they are about our entire higher education system and its relation to the state's economic health," Benson said. "I look forward to the opportunity to let the commission know how we've been addressing the steady decline in state funding and, more important, how we can work together to ensure that CU and higher education can continue to be integral parts of our state's success."