In an e-mail dated July 23, days after Holmes was identified as the alleged movie theater shooter, Beshers wrote an e-mail to a colleague saying "we (the program and esp. students) need to ponder this and maybe have a discussion about it."

While Beshers did not want to announce the university's connection to Holmes on its website, he wrote "at the same time there's no point in try to hide it, or hide from it."

He suggested meeting at a local restaurant and bar "where we could have a beer and talk amongst ourselves then maybe we could announce a gathering for anyone interested."

It's not clear whether the gathering occurred. Beshers did not immediately return a telephone call from CNN early Saturday seeking comment.