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NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY

Floros: The sky is not falling at NMSU

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During a town hall meeting held on Zoom Thursday, July 9, New Mexico State University President John Floros addressed issues related to returning to classes and the university’s finances.

Floros started the meeting by acknowledging “we live in difficult times for many.” He said it’s important for leaders to be respectful.

“We do live in a democracy,” he said. “… and a democracy is a messy thing. You have to bring people with you, you can’t expect them to know. We all deserve a little bit of respect and trust. Don’t automatically assume we are here to do the wrong thing. We are here to do the right thing.”

Speaking about international students, Floros said new federal guidelines state international students cannot stay in the United States if their classes are online only.

“[NMSU] leadership believes this is the wrong way to go,” he said.  “We have more than 1,000 international students. We are trying to figure out ways for our own students to stay.”

Dr. Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president for research, said international students are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis, while NMSU develops a way to fill requirements so they can stay.

Floros said NMSU plans to reopen for the fall semester.

“So, for the international students at this point you should have the ability to register for face-to-face classes, and we will also try to help as we move forward,” he said. “We also want to make sure all of you – faculty, staff and students – [can choose] to come or stay home. Don’t automatically assume you have to come to campus.”

As Floros turned to a discussion on the NMSU budget, he said that 40 percent of the budget comes from the state. He said the state is in a bad fiscal position, partly because of the virus, partly because of oil prices and partly because there is a national/international slowdown in the economy.

During the special legislative session in June, the state rescinded four-percent compensation increases awarded during the regular session in January. They also cut the higher-education budget up to six percent across the board. Finally, they clawed back two-thirds of the federal funds from the CARE Act for virus-related expenses.

Floros said the net result nears a 10 percent. Adverse impact on the budget, but he also said that while adjusting to financial shortfalls may be painful and stressful, things are not impossible.

“Yes, it’s not pretty,” he said. “But it’s not ‘the sky is falling.’ We will get through this. It may not what we wanted, but we will get through it.”

Archives of the meeting and previous NMSU town halls can be found at www.president.nmsu.edu/town-hall/.

New Mexico State University, NMSU, John Floros

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