The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Rachel Dembrun Interim President Tony Frank sits in the President's office in an exclusive interview with the Collegian. Frank became interim president on Nov. 5 when Larry Penley resigned.

From a brown leather sofa chair on the east wall of his new, spacious office, CSU Interim President Tony Frank takes a much-needed moment to breathe.

"Everyone wants to know what my plans are, but I've only had about 120 hours in this office to think about it," he says, revealing a fatigued smile beneath his self-described "Todd Helton" goatee.

It's a short distance from his old office of the provost across the lobby of the Administration Building, set at the apex of CSU's Historic Oval. But the move up the leadership ladder and across the way has sent a ripple effect through a transitioning administration.

During his short time in the office, which former President and Chancellor Larry Penley surprisingly vacated two weeks ago amid a shroud of criticism, Frank says he's been busy "putting out fires."

His schedule is filled with back-to-back meetings with the student government president and vice president, state legislators and other officials, and an eager news media. And he's running about 20 minutes behind.

"It's a bad strategy to keep state representatives waiting in your first week as interim president," he says, admittedly hoping to get out of posing for a portrait for the Collegian.

CSU's transfer of power

As the nation witnessed a historical presidential victory two weeks ago, so did CSU experience an unexpected change in executive leadership.

With little notice, Frank, a 48-year-old pathologist and administrator who has been at CSU for 16 years, took the university helm - an increasingly challenging role as Colorado ranks at the bottom of the barrel in higher education support and as economic woes have universities across the country gripping to dwindling financial support.

"As a pathologist, I'd tell you there aren't really a whole lot of organs you can remove without the patient dying. And I think the same thing's true about the university," Frank said. "We can't live without kidneys, hearts, lungs - you get the drill. But if you had to say … what's the heart and what's the soul, the lifeblood if you will, of a university, I don't think you could separate students and faculty."

Continued...

Page 1 of 4 next >

Article Tools