The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
CSCU president to retire at end of year
Mark E. Ojakian, the ultimate Democratic insider, who rose from legislative researcher to chief of staff under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, then became the controversial head of Connecticut’s college and university system, announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of 2020.
Affable and persuasive, Ojakian served as deputy state comptroller for 16 years, when Connecticut had Reand publican governors, then moved into the executive branch when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took office in 2011. His promised two-year stint as president of Connecticut State Colleges & Universities stretched to five.
The 66-year-old West Hartford resident is confident that his direction, combining the 12 disparate community colleges into a single institution, despite a lot of pushback from faculty and staff, will continue. He has made the system stronger
resilient while making it easier for students to transfer credits to universities.
“I’ve always known in my career when it’s time to move on,” Ojakian said in an interview. “I knew when it was time to leave the governor’s office. Now I know that it is time for me to leave this position, which I have been honored to hold for the last five years. I have assembled an incredible team, which I have the utmost confidence in being able to take the ball and continue to run it down the field.”
A political pro with deep associations across state government, politics and the Legislature, Ojakian used them all in helping negotiate the historic union concessions in Malloy’s first year in office, then became his second chief of staff later in 2011.
Ojakian became a lightning rod in recent years as he guided the state’s higher education system, with 9,000 employees and more than 100,000 students.
As deputy secretary of the
Office of Policy and Management under Malloy, Ojakian led the original reorganization of Connecticut’s higher education system, now guided by a Board of Regents, which became the single entity governing the community colleges and four state universities.
“The board is, I think, not only a dedicated, hard-working strategic board, but now I think more than ever understands the need for them to be engaged in the initia
tives that we are putting forward, especially around the consolidation effort,” Ojakian said. “I think that the pieces are in place to continue and if I wasn’t confident that that could occur, I would not have made this decision.”
He said that an organization can be measured by a team that can continue successfully in the absence of the leader. “I believe I’ve done that,” he said.
Ojakian also focused on training college students for jobs in advanced manufacturing, and addressed the need for equity in education for both low-income and LGBTQ students.
The resignation was announced at noon Wednesday, followed quickly by a tribute from Gov. Ned Lamont. “Mark Ojakian has been a dedicated public servant in Connecticut for more than 40 years,” Lamont said in a statement. “He is as intelligent and knowledgeable about the workings of government as anyone. I have come to rely on his counsel and appreciate his friendship. Over the past five years, Mark brought stability to a system that was in turmoil. He recognized that public higher education represents not just opportunity for individuals to expand their knowledge and improve their lives, but a critical component of the state’s longterm workforce development strategy.”
Lamont said he remains committed to the Students First consolidation initiative, which has the goal of improving academic success while assuring the long-term finances of the community colleges.
“We need to ensure not only that every campus remains open and operational, but that they make strides toward reducing chronic inequities,” Lamont said.
Ojakian began his state career in 1980, after answering a newspaper ad that his now-90-year-old mother found for an entry-level General Assembly researcher. From 1994 until 2010, Ojakian was deputy comptroller under State Comptroller Nancy Wyman, who became
Malloy’s lieutenant governor running mate in 2010 and served in that role for two terms.
Ojakian was subject to some criticism for being picked by Malloy to head higher education, and received more flak of his own for hiring Ben Barnes, Malloy’s former budget secretary, as the CSCU’s chief financial officer.
“When we were leaving the Malloy administration, people would say we shouldn’t be selected for other positions because we served under the governor, and so it was kind of strange to think that the skills you had, not only before you became part of a governor’s team, but also that you developed being on the governor’s team, did not translate into your being able to do other functions,” Ojakian said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, praised Ojakian’s goals for higher education and the continued efforts by his board.
“Mark's vision has always focused on the urgency of creating an enhanced educational environment for the tens of thousands of students he serves and it was always a pleasure to work with him toward that end,” Looney said in a statement. “I believe he has pointed a path to sustained success.”
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said Wednesday that Ojakian used his “vast experience” in state government to transform the university system.
“On a personal level, Mark has been dear friend who has helped me throughout my career as his wisdom and advice has always been a comfort,” Klarides said. “He embodies qualities that we all should hope to possess in life: optimism, common sense, humor and loyalty.’’
“His warm personality and gentle demeanor allowed him to navigate rough waters in a way others simply could not,” said state Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, RNorth Haven. “Whether it was talking to leaders on the other side of the aisle, advocating for a budget that people disliked, or union negotiations, he was always direct, honest, sincere, and a gentleman. He is a true friend to everyone he has worked with and he embodies respect and dedication.”
If he has any regrets, Ojakian said he missed the close contact that lawmakers develop during the arc of legislative sessions, which this year was nipped in the bud when the coronavirus pandemic closed the Capitol on March 12, less than two months before the scheduled end of the session, leaving hundreds of pieces of legislation to die.
“It was my 42nd session and I just wanted to go up there,” Ojakian said. “I’ve always stayed up there on the last day and I would always stand and listen to the governor’s speech at midnight, and I’d always go to all the caucus events afterwards to say thank you and to see my friends and to just kind of continue to be part of a system. That feels sort of unfinished to me, but we have much more important things than worrying about my last hurrah. This is more about making sure we all continue to stay safe and that we reopen in a safe way. And I hope we’re there.”
kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT