Benji Bearman, president of The Minnesota Daily’s Board of Directors, resigned from his post at a board meeting Thursday, with praise for the organization and staff.
Bearman, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, will graduate from the University this spring. He has served as president since fall 1996, and has been on the board for five years.
“There is no better place to work on campus, and no better people to work with than at The Minnesota Daily,” he said.
Daily Editor in Chief R. Scott Rogers said Bearman’s tenure has been a good time for the Daily.
“You need a president who understands the challenges facing the Daily, but also one to whom you can talk freely and who will help you make the right decisions,” he said. “That’s a role that I think Benji has lived up to.”
Damon Ray, vice-president for the board for two years, will fill Bearman’s vacancy.
Ray, a junior in the Carlson School of Management, said he was motivated to run for the presidency by watching the turnout for Student Services Fees meetings.
“One thing that really reinforced my decision is the emotion and the dependence on the Daily that I have seen during the fees process,” he said.
Ray said he would focus on increased communication, but stressed that he would not make any drastic changes.
“What we already have going is working,” he said.
Although he acknowledged that changing administration can cause confusion, Rogers said this is not a bad time to make changes, as the Daily is doing well.
Bearman will stay on the board as a non-voting member who may participate in the meetings.
— Brian Close