Six-figure speaker fee for Kofi Annan raises eyebrows at CU

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, June 28, 2007

BOULDER — University of Colorado students paid $160,000 in April to hear former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan say the people of the world must work together to bring about peace.

The amount came as a surprise Wednesday to several members of CU's board of regents, who saw the figure on a routine list of speakers and their fees for the school year that just ended.

Annan was far ahead of the second-highest-paid speaker, liberal historian and activist Howard Zinn, who received $15,500.

The amount for the one-hour speech brought calls from some regents for more frequent audits of student government, which has a $33.8 million annual budget and oversees most campus speaking engagements. It hasn't had a full review in four years, though the student health center has been monitored, campus auditor Jean Stewart told the board.

"It's a large budget, and you have young, inexperienced people (in student government)," Regent Tom Lucero said following the Wednesday meeting. He raised the question of Annan's fee.

Lucero said he wants to know whether rules are on the books that require students to seek permission before committing to large expenditures.

Annan was brought to campus by the Distinguished Speakers Board and Cultural Events Board. Both are student panels, with 7-9 students on each board.

Of the $160,000, Annan received $100,000. The rest was for transportation, lodging, food and two security men, according to Jon Tsuda , director of the Student Organizations Finance Office.

Annan told some 4,000 people at Coors Events Center that all of humankind is linked together in the quest for world security.

"We should be responsible to protect each other from the crimes against humanity," he said, according to a report in the Boulder Daily Camera.

Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs, said administrators were "shocked" by the amount of Annan's fee. But, he said, that's the going rate for people of Annan's prominence.

"We're not the only people paying top dollar," Stump said.

Tsuda, in an interview, said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani received a similar amount two years ago, as did bluesman B.B. King last year.

The students try to negotiate on speakers' fees, with little success, Tsuda said. Student admission to Annan's speech was $1.

Regent Steve Ludwig noted that the $160,000 fee works out to $40 apiece for the people who attended.

Regent Tillie Bishop was initially surprised by the $160,000 figure. But after considering Ludwig's math, Bishop said people pay $40 or more to see sports figures.

"You pay that price if you want to see them," Bishop said.

Regent Cindy Carlisle said speakers like Annan help make CU a world-class institution.

"The students are always very excited about these things happening," Carlisle said.

morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5209