DENVER -- After more than two hours of public discussion and two hours of private debate, the University of Colorado regents voted Wednesday night to appoint oilman and former Republican fundraiser Bruce Benson president of the CU system.

The CU's nine regents voted in favor of Benson, 6 to 3. The vote fell on party lines. All six Republican regents backed Benson and all three Democratic regents voted against him.

It was not an easy decision. Critics said his ties to the energy industry, his partisan activism and the fact that he has no advanced college degree made him a questionable candidate. Supporters said Benson could bring the school something it desperately needs: big donations.

"We had a very open & honest process. And I think we aired our differences. We had disagreements. But that argument's over. It's time to move on to kame sure that we can accomplish what needs to be accomplished for the state of Colorado and for the University," said Regent Stephen Ludwig who voted against Benson and says the political break-up of the board was not a factor in his vote.

"I gotta tell you there's a big learning curve out there. And I know that. I know there's a lot to learn about this institution. And I will be sitting down. And I've heard there are some huge briefing books that are out there waiting for me," new President Bruce Benson said.

Benson had been named the sole finalist for the job in January. Before the vote, Regent Cindy Carlisle offered a motion to reopen a search for president with more than one finalist offered. The motion failed.

Faculty at CU's flagship Boulder campus last week voted down a resolution supporting Benson. The student government passed a resolution asking him to withdraw his candidacy. They and others questioned Benson's credentials to oversee a university with a $2 billion budget and 52,000 students, 24,000 employees and campuses in Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs.

About 30 people spoke to the regents during a public hearing Wednesday.

Several students asked regents to reconvene a search committee for a president, saying Benson was unqualified to be president.

But supporters touted his fundraising abilities and his record of reaching across the aisle in support of higher education.

Benson could count three state senators, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet among speakers supporting him.

Hickenlooper noted Benson's personal contributions to higher education and his fundraising, saying not only does Benson put his money where his mouth is, "he actually manages to put other people's money where his mouth is."

Republican state Sen. Nancy Spence said Benson is "what a playmaker is to a winning sports team."

The regents went into executive session until 7 p.m.

Benson will replace Hank Brown, who is stepping down 30 months after he was hired to right the university amid multiple scandals.

Like Benson, Brown is a prominent Republican. But Brown, a former U.S. senator, brought academic experience that Benson lacks, having served as president of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley from 1998 to 2002.

Brown holds two law degrees. Benson earned a B.A. in geology and was pursuing a master's degree when he abandoned formal study to form his own company, Benson Minerals.

Others at CU -- whose climate researchers shared a Nobel Prize with Al Gore -- were nervous about his commitment to research to combat global warming.

Critics also questioned the funding Benson provided the Trailhead Group, a 527 that aims to put more Republicans in office.

"I just feel that Bruce has been subjected to a process that has not been fair to him," said Regent Tom Lucero, a Republican who voted in favor of Benson.

But Benson has often worked with prominent Democrats in advocating more resources for education in Colorado and chaired a $1 billion fundraising campaign for CU.

"Lookit, I've been through this kind of stuff before. You just, it's part of the process. We understand the process. Not everybody's going to like you. A few people are going to say a few bad things. Y'know what? You just go on and you keep going and you say I'm going to make 'em my friends," Benson said.

He served as co-chair of Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's P-20 Education Coordinating Council, and he also successfully lobbied for Referendum C, a voter-approved measure in which taxpayers forfeited potential refunds to provide more funding for higher education and other items.

Benson has said CU could lose $88 million when Referendum C expires in less than three years. That would come at a time when annual state funding for CU has dwindled from about $210 million to $180 million in the last six years.

Higher education has been a frequent target for cuts in the state budget due to conflicting constitutional mandates. One requires funding for K-12 education to keep pace with inflation and then some, while the other limits overall tax increases.