The president for higher education in Connecticut resigned on Friday in light of criticism over to his staffers.
“The issues with which we’ve dealt over the past few days have become a distraction to that important work, and, as an educator all my life, the most important thing to me is the success and support of our students,” Robert Kennedy said in a written statement. “For that reason, I believe my resignation will allow the critical issues of the Board and its agenda to be addressed in a different light than they might otherwise be.
After the Connecticut Mirror exposed $250,000 in raises to his staffers — including a $48,000 raise to one executive — Kennedy announced that he would suspend the raises.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who appointed Kennedy to the Board of Regents for Higher Education, said the decision to resign “was the right one.”
“It’s unfortunate that the events of the past week have damaged the credibility of the central office, but they have,” he said in a written statement. “And that credibility needs to be restored as quickly as possible.”
Lewis Robinson, the chairman of the Board of Regents, said that the group would change policies to ensure that there isn’t a repeat situation of the lucrative raises.
“The Board of Regents is focused on pushing the kind of change agenda that, guided by strong leadership and clear policy and process, will ensure our students are better prepared to enter the job market,” Robinson said.
