CSU Pueblo president resigns after alleged violation of university policy

Less than a year after taking the reins of the university, Colorado State University Pueblo President Armando Valdez has resigned.

A Jan. 31 news release from the Colorado State University System stated the system’s board of governors accepted Valdez’s resignation “effective immediately.”

“Following an independent investigation, Mr. Valdez was found to have violated a university policy. While Mr. Valdez disagrees with the conclusions of that investigation, he recognizes that it has caused him to lose the confidence of the Board of Governors and CSU System leadership. As a result, to allow the university to move forward, he resigned his role,” CSU System officials said in the release.

Rico Munn, the former superintendent of Aurora Public Schools, has been selected by the board to serve as CSU Pueblo’s interim president.

Munn, a past chair of the board of governors and past executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, most recently served as vice president for Metro Denver Engagement and Strategy, overseeing the CSU Spur campus and CSU strategy in Denver after two years as chief of staff to CSU President Amy Parsons, according to the release.

“Rico Munn brings deep knowledge of higher education and education as a whole and knows the mission and role of CSU Pueblo well. We are confident in his ability to help steer the campus forward during this interim period, with the support of the university’s excellent Cabinet-level leadership team,” Board Chair John Fischer said in the release.

Fischer said in the release that the board’s focus is “ensuring there is solid and effective leadership in place moving forward at CSU Pueblo.”

CSU System AVP of Communications Tiana Kennedy told the Chieftain that because Valdez’s resignation and alleged violation of university policy is a personnel matter it’s “not something the CSU system will not be commenting on.”

Search details and next steps will be announced at a future date, according to the release.

Valdez ousted one day short of his one-year anniversary

Valdez took over as CSU Pueblo’s 16th president Feb. 1, 2024, succeeding former President Timothy Mottet, who had led the university since 2017.

The university launched a national search for its next president in August 2023, but after the search yielded no viable candidates, Valdez resigned from his position on the CSU Board of Governors to be an eligible candidate.

He was named the sole finalist for the presidency on Nov. 30, 2023, and was later appointed to the position to finish the remaining 2 ½ years of Mottet’s term.

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Chieftain Editor Zach Hillsrom can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: CSU Pueblo president resigns less than 1 year after taking over