He halted the search for new faculty and staff because the campus was at or near capacity and was quoted as saying that he wanted administration to "rethink the centralized operating model and make appropriate modifications" due to the current economic situation.
Over 111 staff members applied for voluntary severance as a result, receiving a lump-sum payment equal to six months' salary by willingly leaving.
Coombe said in the email that Boone "does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community" but recognized that "we are certainly an institution that honors its past.
The ban was based on a recommendation by DU's Tobacco Task Force headed by Sam Alexander, the executive director of University Health Services.
These include member of the Higher Education Working Group of the Council on Foreign Relations, on the Committee of Accountability of the Board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, member of the Rocky Mountain Regional Advisory Board of the Institute for International Education, and trustee of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.