Community comments on NMSU chancellor selection

Bulletin reporter Mike Cook asked various community leaders, educators, NMSU faculty, legislators and others for their thoughts about the selection of the next New Mexico State University chancellor.

Two key questions were asked, with the opportunity for follow-up:

What, in your opinion, is the single most important issue in the selection of the next NMSU chancellor?

What are the most important attributes for the next chancellor to have to successfully lead NMSU?

Here is what we received back.

Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who teaches a business class at NMSU: “Stability. We need to let the next Chancellor run the University as they were hired to do. I grew up in the area, and I have often credited former UTEP President Diana Natalicio's 25-year tenure as the reason why UTEP has developed

into the great university that they are. I don't believe the Texas governor interfered with her mission to run the university. It is all about stability and providing an excellent educational experience to the students.”

“Most, if not all, of our past Presidents/Chancellors, had the experience of leading NMSU successfully. When the governor appoints a regent; the executive must let them do their job and not interfere with their vision and ideas. We have great regents, both present and former, who, in turn, hire the President/Chancellor. We need to let them guide the university and not the executive.”

“I have great confidence in the selection process; I am incredibly pleased with the recent hires of the provost and deans.”

Former Las Cruces City Councilor and author Jack Eakman: “The next chancellor of NMSU must be a BUILDER of people, programs, revenues, research, reputation, infrastructure, relationships, development, and, yes, sports. A rare combination of scholarship, high energy, communication skills, and total appreciation of the contributions of others. A proven leader at, perhaps, a Division 2 university that envisions an attainable transformation to a magnet institution. This person is probably very happy right where they are; after learning about the opportunities that NMSU, would be focused and able to enlist the community, the faculty, the student body, the staff, and potential generous donors to a collaborative, redefined mission.

NMSU history professor Jamie Bronstein, Ph.D.: “I think the most urgent issue facing the university right now is the failure to have prioritized academics by the previous administration. You may recall that even though they were searching for one chief executive, the previous board of regents ended up with two. They tripled the amount of money paid to NMSU's chief executive, but they did not get triple the value. Instead, the administration proceeded to hire a series of underling administrators, all of them paid six-figure salaries. At the same time, academic programs have had to go begging for new hires, tenure track faculty have been lured away by other universities that can actually pay them reasonable salaries, and NMSU faculty have workloads that are way more onerous than the standard for a research 2 university, never mind the research 1 university that we are trying to be. Moreover, the athletic programs have been a source of reputational harm that is actually ongoing, and the gutting of the OIE office has led to a proliferation of lawsuits.

“The most important attribute that the new chancellor should have is a real background in higher ed, and a firm commitment to the research, service, and teaching missions of the university, the only reasons this University is supposed to exist. Unfortunately, however, the way that the Regents seek input is weighted toward voices that have nothing to do with the actual mission of the University. I'm not sanguine about the process.”

Las Cruces icon Heather Pollard: “The single most important issue in the selection of the next NMSU chancellor is that she or he have complete communication with the faculty and a huge presence in this community. The most important attributes are honesty, fairness and transparency. It is important that community leaders have a voice in the selection process.”

State Senator and Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Carrie Hamblen: “I believe the next chancellor for NMSU needs to have an inherent knowledge of the relationship NMSU has with the community, the importance of prioritizing the faculty, staff, and students, as well as the ability to bring thoughtful and realistic solutions to the problems the university faces.

“NMSU has some significant issues to address and reach long standing solutions that represent the values and priorities of the university as a whole.  The next chancellor needs to have the dedication to listen to the University community, work with the faculty, staff, and students, and be genuine in finding solutions that are representative of the needs of the NMSU population and the Las Cruces community. 

“I would hope the selection process will be transparent, genuine in incorporating community feedback and suggestions, and realistic for what is best for NMSU, and for building positive relationships with all who are impacted and benefit from the university.” 

Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH) Executive Director Nicole Martinez: “MVCH is serving more Veterans than ever. We are honored to have the help of the Aaron Gifford Pickleball Benefit Tournament to help us serve Veterans who are housing insecure and living outside. Our community is incredibly generous in their giving to others who have given so much for all of us.”

Former LCPS Board of Education of New Mexico Public Education Commission member Gene Gant: “The next chancellor needs to have the innate and learned ability to be able to listen, really listen and hear, what people work at the university at all levels, the students, and the local community. These are the basic two skills that the great leaders of the past have had or have today. If the skills are not truly a part of the individual’s portfolio then, in my view, that person is nothing more than an empty sounding box.

“The person needs to be able to communicate with the all the staff at all levels, students, and the local community. Poor communications between individuals and groups tends to lead to bigger and harder problems to solve. All the other skills, financial management, physical plant management, knowledge of academic requirements, etc., etc.; are of little use if the person does not have (that). The skill that should not be overlooked is the ability to work with the board of regents, listen/understand their directives within the law, and execute the directives that provides the leadership for ALL employees and students at the NMSU.”

State Rep. Angelica Rubio: “Overall, I would hope that the chancellor will build trust with students and faculty, and that they will allow for some true relationship building moving forward. That the overall needs of the students are prioritized, and not just looking at returns on investment.

“Graduate students, especially, are in dire need of a partner in the administration who can fight alongside them for equitable opportunities—including free tuition, at one of the best research institutions in the country, made up of our best and brightest.

“NMSU deserves a chancellor that is going to prioritize education over athletics, and whose overall goal is to become a beacon for the rest of the nation on how to properly address and eradicate abuse, assault, and harassment, (which many, including the governor, have minimized to “hazing”) that has become institutionalized and cultural behavior in our athletic systems, and has absolutely no place at New Mexico State, no matter how normalized it is around the country, even if it means a period in which we halt all athletic programming until issues are properly resolved and accountability is held up accordingly.”

Business owner Ron Cavill: “The university system is an old and cherished institution designed first and foremost to increase the quality of life for all. As NMSU steps into a new era I would hope they will be able to honor the past but also provide education that participates in and shapes the future. In short, develop useful and fulfilled citizens.”

Doña Ana County Commissioner Shannon Reynolds: “ Understanding the strategic plan and direction for the school. How to grow programs and public support. Land grant colleges sometimes don’t feel they need to compete with the Ivy League schools and others. How do we compete?”

“Energy, empathy, decreasing costs and increasing funding for students. Reach out more to the community to integrate with local organizations and government entities. There are not enough partnerships with industry. Two reasons: 1) NMSU has never understood the value of corporate partnerships with intellectual property (patents are an example). Tenured professors are happy to apply for grants, but not as interested in finding common ground with Industries. Many complaints about universities are that they do not prepare the students at a level that Industry needs. Working closer with them can change that. The ‘Capstone Project’ lacks teeth and does not meet industry standards.”

Community activist Irene Oliver-Lewis: “Include all the voices of the publics that experience and are affected by the leadership decisions of the Chancellor – the students, faculty/staff, community, alumni and donors – in the hiring process of.

“Creativity in problem solving and leading collaborations and partnerships; Accessibility – remember that the university leadership should practice its innovations, research, educational strategies to benefit people and not just be theory; inclusivity in hiring, decision making, long-range planning, who has a say in decisions; humor and appreciation of the joy that all things are attainable.

“The athletic scandal has to be addressed. To think that a repressive and humiliating environment was allowed to exist is saddening and criminal. Greed, arrogance and hatefulness destroyed many lives and the respect of the community.”