Juan Manual Santos, who graduated from the University of Kansas in 1973 with degrees in economics and business, was just elected to a four-year term as the president of the Republic of Colombia.
When he's inaugurated on August 7, South Americans will finally have the opportunity to be confused by the phrase Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.
Santos, 58, formerly served three years as the country's defense minister, and has blood ties to the presidency. His grandfather was president from 1938 to 1942. Fransisco Santos, the outgoing vice-president, is his cousin.
While KU is understandably trumpeting the idea of one of their graduates in charge of a nation, Santos' career has not been without controversy. Under Santos' watch as Colombian defense minister, Paul Reyes, leader of the Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- People's Army, was killed during a military strike in Ecuador. The incursion outside of Colombian borders caused a minor international incident. Santos also admitted that during his tenure the Colombian military carried out several extrajudicial executions in order to inflate the claimed number of guerrilla fighters killed and claim any government rewards for slain guerrillas. After admitting the executions, Santos said the military would put a stop to them.
Santos certainly did some good as well. He founded the Good Government Foundation to help improve the Colombian government. The organization proposed a demilitarized zone and peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- People's Army.
Now if he can just get native Colombian Shakira to do a halftime show at this year's homecoming game.
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