Connecticut state colleges board meets on interim chancellor search

(WFSB) – The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents met to discuss the search for an interim chancellor.

The meeting lasted about an hour and a half, with nearly the entire time spent in executive session. Before the board adjourned, they said no action was taken that needed to be publicly addressed.

The board elected a temporary chair who almost immediately moved to make the discussion private.

“The board will now go into executive session to discuss preliminary drafts and notes as well as personnel matters,” said Ari Santiago, Board of Regents, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.

The meeting comes after the former chancellor, his replacement and the board chair stepped down in the last year amid controversies.

Last spring, former Chancellor Terrence Cheng was made a special advisor to the board after a state audit found thousands of dollars worth of questionable spending like travel and entertainment.

John Maduko was then named interim chancellor. Last month, he was put on administrative leave and then resigned. Documents obtained found Maduko was under investigation for sexual harassment.

This week, Board of Regents Chair Marty Guay resigned. In the complaint filed against Maduko, a woman says she did not report the harassment sooner because she says Guay told her he previously fired a woman for filing a sexual assault complaint.

Karen Bufkin, CSCU’s general counsel, is currently leading the system. She was part of the meeting.

Governor Ned Lamont says he plans to appoint a new chair for the Board of Regents by the end of this week.