NMSU regents hold listening session on chancellor search at NMSU-Alamogordo

ALAMOGORDO — The New Mexico State University Board of Regents continued their listening tour to seek input from communities across New Mexico regarding the search for the university’s next chancellor at NMSU-Alamogordo’s Townsend Library Tuesday night.

The Board of Regents previously met at NMSU-Carlsbad on Oct. 16.

NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers is expected to retire July 1, 2018. According to a Las Cruces Sun-News article, he was named as NMSU’s president and chancellor in 2013. June 1 marked his fourth year in the role. He earns $373,450 per year.

Regents are hoping to have a replacement for NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers next summer.

At the public forum, university employees, alumni, supporters, community members and other stakeholders voiced their opinions on what they would like to see in the university’s next chancellor.

Several faculty members from NMSU-Alamogordo said they would like to see the new chancellor have a strong background in education and business to successfully brand the university.

University supporters also said they would like to see the next chancellor understand the NMSU system that includes all their community college campuses.

“I do want someone who values the community college students,” said Cathy Aguilar Morgan, Division Head for the Career and Technology Department at NMSU-Alamogordo. “Research shows that students are more successful in obtaining a bachelor’s degree if they start off at a community college, and we work really well with the different departments and colleges over at NMSU.”

NMSU regent Jerean Hutchinson said the regents are not only looking for a candidate who can turn things around but someone who can stay committed to the university for many years to come.

“We’re not only looking for someone who can be our next stepping stone person, we’re looking for someone who can really turn things around for the next 5 to 10 years,” said Hutchinson. “Someone who can brand the institution and become an Aggie and understand our multicultural system.”

NMSU-Alamogordo President Ken Van Winkle said Alamogordo, along with the other community college campuses, have a large role to play when it comes to selecting the university’s next chancellor.

“I think it’s extremely important because we’re part of the system and I would like to thank the Board of Regents for sending Jerean over here to speak with us to let us give input that I think is really valuable in selecting the next chancellor,” said Van Winkle. “I’m really hopeful that our next chancellor understands our system and the value of the community college in the system. I think by the Board of Regents holding this opportunity for us to talk about these things we’re able to share that and they can take that forward as they go through with the search.”

Hutchinson also said the community colleges also play a vital role in selecting the chancellor being that the university has several community college campuses throughout the state.

“I think it’s extremely important, we are doing a listening tour throughout all of our community colleges. They are a part of our system, it was very important for us to meet with all of our constituents,” said Hutchinson. “How can we be the best system we can be? Well, that’s from the ground up that includes everybody.”

On Oct. 5, the Board of Regents reviewed previous hiring processes and laid out some of the criteria that they are looking for when it comes to hiring the university’s next leader.

Some of the high-level characteristics that the regents outlined included:

• A demonstrated track record of improving the performance of higher education institutions;

• An appreciation for the significance of minority-serving institutions and land-grant institutions and the important roles they play for students and the state;

• The ability to connect with the university’s many generations of alumni;

• Flexibility to adapt to the changing landscape of higher education and the understanding of how the needs of the higher education consumer have changed over time;

• The ability to connect NMSU with the communities it serves, especially as a driver of economic development;

• An understanding that athletics is the front porch of the university and responsible for generating positive public relations; and

• Appropriately value shared governance in alignment with the best practices at other high-performing universities.
 

Along with these qualities, Hutchinson said the next chancellor should also be well educated on the university’s land grant mission which serves the educational needs of New Mexico’s diverse population through comprehensive programs of education, research, extension education and public service.

“I think some of the key points and criteria the new chancellor needs to be able to understand is our land grant mission and how we operate as a system,” said Hutchinson. “Our system includes the community colleges that also have a 4 year degree programs, as well as two years, and we all work together on that.”

Hutchinson said the Board of Regents is now in the request for proposal (RFP) process in selecting a search firm to assist in the candidate selection process.

“As part of the search we are now in the process of obtaining an RFP for a search firm that will hopefully be decided on in the next week or coming weeks. The listening tours right now are able to give us the input of criteria that we want to see in our next chancellor," she said. "As we work with the search firm we will provide that information so they can help us develop that. We encourage all good leaders to apply, it will be an outreach but throughout our own stakeholders.”

Regents plan to finalize the composition of their search committee at their November meeting based on broad stakeholder representation and diversity. 

The Board of Regents next stop will be Las Cruces on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Doña Ana Community College’s East Mesa Campus Auditorium at 4 p.m.

Regents will also visit NMSU-Grants Thursday, Nov.2, time and room to be determined. They will also stop in Albuquerque Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the CNM Workforce Training Center, Room 103 at 9 a.m.

An additional listening session for NMSU faculty and staff is set for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the university’s Las Cruces campus, at Domenici Hall, in the Yates Auditorium. 

Various members of the NMSU Board of Regents, potentially constituting a quorum, will be in attendance at each listening session. No votes or official actions will take place at any of these events. 

For more information contact the Office of the Board of Regents at 575-646-5997.