Former Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Mark Ojakian says recent leadership scandals should not be viewed as evidence that the state's higher education system itself is broken.
Instead, Ojakian argues the problems stem from individual leadership failures, not the structure created when Connecticut consolidated its public colleges and universities under the Board of Regents.
“I don't think it's systemic at all,” Ojakian said. “I think that there were deficiencies in some of the leadership choices that manifested themselves.”
Ojakian, who led CSCU from 2016 until his retirement in 2021, said he decided to speak publicly because he has watched critics blame the system itself for the controversies surrounding more recent leaders. The list includes:
- Terrence Cheng — resigned as CSCU chancellor after scrutiny over alleged misuse of a state-issued credit card and related expense and ethics concerns.
- John Maduko — left his role as interim chancellor following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct.
- Marty Guay — resigned as Board of Regents chair during the fallout from the Maduko investigation and questions about how leadership responded.
- Karen Buffkin — placed on leave as CSCU general counsel during the same investigation into the handling of the Maduko allegations and related internal response issues.
“I find it very frustrating to sit here and to watch people sort of throw stones at a system that I think has worked because of a few issues around leadership performance,” Ojakian said.
Responding to critics
Ojakian's comments come after Board of Regents member and Faculty Advisory Committee Chair Colena Sesanker told Connecticut Public that repeated executive departures point to deeper structural flaws and raise questions about whether the CSCU system should continue to exist.
Ojakian rejected that conclusion.
“When you're conducting a search for a new leader, you're always taking a chance,” he said. “The board took a chance with me.”
He declined to comment specifically on the actions of his successors but said the system functioned without comparable leadership controversies during his own tenure.
Why consolidation happened
Ojakian defended the creation of the statewide system, saying Connecticut's public colleges previously operated too independently from one another, making it difficult for students to transfer credits or move efficiently from community colleges to four-year institutions.
“It was important to make a system where they didn't have to start over every single time they wanted to take a new course or transfer to a new degree program,” he said.
He also defended his decision to consolidate the state's 12 community colleges into a single institution with multiple campuses, arguing that severe financial pressures threatened the long-term viability of individual schools.
“The financial difficulties of the colleges were so drastic that we were facing the possibility of closing institutions,” Ojakian said.
Savings and funding
Critics of consolidation have argued the promised cost savings never fully materialized.
Ojakian acknowledged the savings may have fallen short of original expectations but maintained the effort was worthwhile.
“We were able to achieve savings,” he said. “We weren't probably able to achieve as many savings as originally hoped for.”
He attributed some of those limitations to labor agreements and other constraints.
At the same time, Ojakian echoed one criticism frequently raised by opponents of consolidation, saying Connecticut has consistently failed to adequately fund public higher education.
“The system has been underfunded,” he said. “When you have spending that is not in tune with reality of the situation, then you're bound to fail.”
Looking ahead
Some critics have suggested dismantling the Board of Regents and replacing the current governance structure altogether.
Ojakian said he has heard those calls.
“I have yet to hear of an idea that someone has had that would actually advance that,” he said.
He argued that without consolidation, Connecticut's colleges would likely face even greater financial strain and that closing campuses would hurt students and the communities they serve.
“You would have institutions that were more drastically underfunded,” Ojakian said.
Comfortable with his legacy
Reflecting on criticism he has received from some faculty members over the years, Ojakian said it comes with trying to implement major change.
“Change is hard,” he said. “When you're a change agent, you're going to face criticism.”
Despite the controversy surrounding his tenure and the consolidation effort, Ojakian said he remains satisfied with the direction he pursued.
“I’m very happy with the way that my tenure went, and with the way that I left the system,” he said.
