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Bruce D. Benson became president of the University of ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® in March 2008. Since taking the helm of his alma mater, Benson has enhanced ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s standing as one of the nation’s leading teaching and research universities, advancing the economy, health, and culture of ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® and beyond.

During Benson’s tenure, ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s research funding has reached record levels in each of the past three years (including a best-ever $884 million in 2010-11), supporting the university’s research strengths in biotechnology, health care, renewable and sustainable energy, and aerospace engineering, among others. He has led efforts to promote cross-campus collaboration that have resulted in cooperative academic programs and research initiatives, most notably ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s Biofrontiers Institute, led by Nobel Laureate Tom Cech.

¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® has seen its four best fundraising years (including a record $213 million in 2010-11) under his leadership. Benson and his wife, Marcy, chair ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s $1.5 billion Creating Futures fundraising campaign, which was publicly announced in April 2011. The campaign has raised $1.05 billion to date to support scholarships, academic enhancements (endowed faculty positions, programs), research projects, and capital improvements across ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s campuses.

Benson has guided efforts to successfully institute operational efficiencies, cut bureaucracy, and improve business practices at the university. ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® has secured legislation in the past three sessions of the ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® General Assembly that has allowed it to save millions annually in areas such as procurement, insurance, and construction. He has also established a number of public-private partnerships to make the university more entrepreneurial and to meet the needs of businesses in ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® and across the country.

He oversees a system with four campuses (Boulder, ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® Springs, Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora) where some 66,000 students pursue courses for credit. During his tenure, ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s four campuses have seen record enrollment. The university’s annual budget is $2.82 billion.

Before becoming ¾«Í¯ÓûŮ’s president, Benson had already made his mark in business, politics, philanthropy, education, and civic endeavors. He founded Benson Mineral Group in 1965, a year after earning his bachelor’s degree in Geology from ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ®. He was active in a variety of educational, civic, and political endeavors. He was the Republican nominee for ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® governor in 1994. Benson has received many honors recognizing his leadership in a variety of endeavors, but two are particularly notable: ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® in 2004 granted him an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, and in February 2009, he was named to the ¾«Í¯ÓûÅ® Business Hall of Fame.

Benson has three children and 10 grandchildren. He was born July 4, 1938, in Chicago.

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