Oilman president a good fit at Mines

The Rocky

Friday, February 22, 2008

Scoggins has a doctorate in petroleum engineering.

The University of Colorado isn't the only school in the state to hire a president from outside academia.

Bill Scoggins came to the Colorado School of Mines in 2006 from Mobil Exxon, where he was an executive vice president.

But the similarities end there between the Golden school and CU, which on Wednesday also hired a president from the oil industry.

Scoggins was a good fit for Mines, which is tightly focused on engineering and more closely linked to industry than CU, said Brajendra Mishra, chairman of Mines' Faculty Senate.

About 40 percent of grant money at Mines comes from industry, a higher proportion than at most other schools, Mishra said.

Many CU faculty members complained that Bruce Benson was not qualified for the post because he lacks an advanced degree and has no experience managing a university.

Scoggins, by contrast, holds a doctorate in petroleum engineering, a field that is taught at Mines.

Many Mines professors were themselves brought in from industry, Mishra said.

Mines faculty members passed a resolution in 2006 objecting that the governing board excluded them from the search process, but they didn't object to Scoggins himself, Mishra said.

Mishra said Scoggins has won friends on campus by meeting with faculty.

"He's very receptive to listening to the faculty and taking our opinion into consideration," Mishra said.

Berny Morson