Colorado President, 3rd Ld-Writethru

AP Photo NY113

By JON SARCHE

Associated Press Writer

DENVER (AP) _ University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman resigned Monday amid a football recruiting scandal and a national controversy over an activist professor who compared victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to a notorious Nazi.

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Hoffman, who has been president for five years, told the Board of Regents in a letter that her resignation is effective June 30 or whenever the board names a successor.

``It appears to me it is in the university's best interest that I remove the issue of my future from the debate so that nothing inhibits CU's ability to successfully create the bright future it so deserves,'' Hoffman wrote.

An independent commission reported last year that Colorado players used sex, alcohol and marijuana as recruiting tools.

And in February, administrators took the first steps toward a possible dismissal of professor Ward Churchill, who likened World Trade Center victims to Nazi Adolf Eichmann.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Hoffman said her decision to resign would give her time to help the university resolve the controversies.

``I've taken my future off the table so to some extent I can focus my attention on issues that face the university and not on my personal future,'' she said.

She cited the upcoming trial of a civil lawsuit that stemmed from the football recruiting scandal.

``Sometimes you need to say someone else perhaps needs to take the next step and that's what I've decided,'' Hoffman said. ``I think it's really important to focus my attention on what needs to be done and not feel that I have to defend myself against attacks.''

Board of Regents Chairman Jerry Rutledge said Hoffman would be missed.

``However, it has become clear to many in the CU family that our university _ one of the most distinguished in the nation _ has suffered greatly from a series of controversies that seem to be growing, not abating,'' he said in a statement. ``On Monday, President Hoffman realized the future of CU is far more important than any single individual.''

At least nine women have said they were assaulted by Colorado football players or recruits since 1997.

Just last week, a grand jury said two female trainers alleged they were sexually assaulted by an assistant coach and that a ``slush fund'' was created with money from coach Gary Barnett's football camp, according to a report leaked to the media.

The grand jury, which finished meeting Aug. 19, handed up a single indictment accusing a former football recruiting aide of soliciting a prostitute for himself and misusing a school-issued cell phone.

Barnett, who was reinstated last spring at the behest of Hoffman, said he was disappointed to see her leave.

``President Hoffman has had to bear the burden of tremendous pressure, pressure that in many ways has been unfair,'' Barnett said in a statement. ``It saddens me to see that she feels it is best for her to resign. There are many including myself that support her efforts, her values and her leadership. She demonstrated courage and fairness in her actions to reinstate me. I consider her a valued friend.''

A parallel investigation by then-Attorney General Ken Salazar into the alleged assaults resulted in no charges; prosecutors cited concerns about evidence and the reluctance of the women to go forward with the cases.

Hoffman said the school fully cooperated with the grand jury and launched financial audits of Barnett's football camp and the university's fund raising arm, even though both are independent organizations.

A review of Churchill's speeches and writings is being conducted to determine if the professor overstepped his boundaries of academic freedom and whether that should be grounds for dismissal.

Hoffman said last week that Churchill would not be fired if the review turns up only inflammatory comments, not misconduct.

The furor over Churchill erupted in January after he was invited to speak at Hamilton College in upstate New York. Campus officials discovered an essay and follow-up book in which he said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were a response to a history of American abuses abroad, particularly against indigenous peoples.