New Mexico
NMSU Board of Regents select five finalists for next university president
New Mexico State University is a step closer to selecting its next president who will serve as head of the university system.
In a virtual meeting held on Feb. 2, the Board of Regents selected five finalists for the position who all come from prior academic and university leadership backgrounds. The board commissioned a campus search committee along with a search firm to identify potential candidates in July 2023. None of the candidates are local or were picked from New Mexico.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the search committee for their efforts over the past few months. To bring us this slate of candidates for consideration,” Chair of the Regents Amu Devasthali said during the meeting.
“I would like to thank the search committee chair, Mr. Ben Woods, for his efforts to lead this large and diverse committee through one of the most important processes that our institution undertakes. The committee has shown through Aggie spirit by so selflessly committing themselves to serving the board through a careful review of the candidate pool and advising the board through this process,” Devasthali continued.
The board unanimously voted to approve the five candidates for consideration. Campus visits and public forums are expected in the coming weeks.
Here’s who made the list, a recap of why the university is searching for a new leader and when we could expect to see a final selection.
Who are the finalists for NMSU president?
Regents approved five candidates from Texas, New Hampshire, Illinois, Maine and Utah. They are listed, in particular order, as follows:
- Michael Galyean, Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences and former Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas Tech University
- Wayne Jones, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Hampshire
- Austin Lane, Chancellor of Southern Illinois University
- John Volin, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of the University of Maine
- Richard Williams, Former Presidentof Utah Tech University
More: New Mexico State University could have a new president by early 2024
Why is NMSU looking for a new president?
In the 2022-2023 academic year, the university’s leadership structure changed when Dan Arvizu, former system chancellor, and John Floros, former Las Cruces campus president, left amid their own professional and personal scandals.
Faculty senate and the student government passed resolutions of no confidence which prompted widespread calls for leadership change and accountability. Some of the claims stated in those resolutions were aimed at Floros and former Provost Carol Parker. The claims alleged both leaders had misappropriated funds, had dismissed faculty concerns over the merger of colleges and had condoned questionable hiring and promotion practices.
More: NMSU Regents search for new president
An internal audit found those claims to be unsubstantiated. However, Parker, in an on-going lawsuit against the university, is suing for damages to her reputation where she states in the complaint that Floros andArvizu instructed her to carry out duties that led to the no confidence votes and public outcry as a result.
Floros resigned in January 2022 going on sabbatical which left Arvizu as the sole university leader, but not for long.
Arvizu would also step down a year later during his own public leadership challenges. That year students from NMSU and the University of New Mexico were involved in a shooting incident in Albuquerque, a basketball hazing incident and continuous opposition from graduate student workers resulting in the creation of a union. Arvizu’s spouse was arrested in May 2022 for battery against him.
In a July 2023 meeting, Regents parted way with previous president/chancellor structure and commissioned its own search committee to hire one system-wide president. In the meantime, an interim president, Jay Gogue, who was previously NMSU’s president from 2000-2003, heads the university.
Regents also delegated some leadership duties to a new chancellor position responsible for leading NMSU’s community colleges. Doña Ana Community College President Monica Torres was chosen for that role.
When will NMSU’s next president be chosen?
A finalist will be chosen in the coming weeks after future public forums and campus visits are completed. A full timeline is provided on the president search website.
“We look forward to getting to know each of the candidates and learning how they fit our vision for the next leader of the NMSU system. I hope that you will join us for those candidate forums, whether in person or online, and share your thoughts as we make this incredibly important decision,” Devasthali said.
Ernesto Cisneros is a reporting fellow with the UNM/NM Local News Fund program. He covers education for the Sun-News and can be reached at ECisneros@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter at @_ernestcisneros.
LAS CRUCES, N.M (KFOX14/CBS4) — A gun-tracking program that uses shell casings to connect shootings is already helping investigators link crimes in Doña Ana County, according to new numbers released by the New Mexico Department of Justice.
The effort is part of New Mexico’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, which uses ballistic evidence such as shell casings to track guns believed to be used in multiple crimes. The program relies on the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, a national database that compares ballistic evidence to determine whether shell casings may have come from the same weapon.
In April, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described how the technology can connect cases across jurisdictions.
“There may be a shooting that occurs in Deming that’s actually connected to a crime gun that’s recovered in Las Cruces. We may find shell casings in Silver City that are connected to something that happened in T or C,” Torrez said.
Four months into the program, the Department of Justice said 210 bullet casings have been analyzed in Doña Ana County. Those casings helped link 32 incidents to 13 guns.
Jordan Salas reports on New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County (Credit: KFOX14)
Statewide, more than 700 casings have been entered into the system, connecting 74 shootings to 31 guns.
One person reacting to the numbers said, “That’s crazy. Honestly, all those shootings all coming from that little amount of weapons is crazy.”
New Mexico officials say the system is designed to help law enforcement share information faster and build cases more efficiently.
Also in April, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart pointed to a local case she said the technology helped resolve quickly.
“We resolved a homicide with a suspect arrest in four days. We know that those casings may lead to another 1 or 2 incidents in another city,” Stewart said.
Some residents said the technology alone will not solve gun violence, but they see it as a step forward. One person said, “I mean, growing up, like hearing gunshots in the distance. That wasn’t something crazy. I have stories of, like, friends who’ve gone to parties that had guns go off there. So, yeah, I would say guns are a problem there.”
Another person said, “I would think that it’s a good thing. I’m personally like, just anything to help the gun crimes, you know?”
KFOX14/CBS4 contacted Las Cruces police and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office to ask how the leads are being used in local investigations, but we are awaiting a response.
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- Who: New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez brought a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc.
- Why: The state claims Meta misrepresented harms to minors and created a public nuisance through its social media platforms.
- Where: The lawsuit is pending in New Mexico state court.
- How to get help: Has social media impacted the mental health of you or your child? You may qualify to join a social media lawsuit against the platform.
New Mexico’s attorney general is asking a state court to order Meta to pay approximately $3.7 billion to address what the state describes as a “public nuisance” caused by the company’s social media platforms.
The request comes after a jury previously found Meta misrepresented the risks its platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — pose to underage users. The jury also imposed a $375 million penalty in the first phase of the trial.
The case has now moved into a second phase, where the court will determine what additional remedies, if any, Meta must provide.
According to the state, the proposed $3.712 billion abatement plan would fund a 15-year effort to address the alleged harms caused by Meta’s platforms. The plan includes funding for public education, school resources, law enforcement support and mental health services for children affected by issues, such as online bullying and sexual exploitation.
“This request recognizes the scope of the public nuisance that Meta has caused,” counsel for the state argued in court.
The lawsuit alleges Meta concealed or downplayed the extent of harmful activity on its platforms while publicly portraying them as safe for younger users.
Meta disputes liability, challenges proposed abatement plan
Meta denies the allegations and argues there is no legal basis for the sweeping relief requested by the state.
Attorneys for the company contend the proposed abatement plan does not directly address or stop the alleged harmful conduct and instead seeks compensation for downstream effects.
“What no court has ever allowed … is payment for the downstream effects,” Meta’s counsel argued, describing the request as “damages masquerading as something else.”
The court is expected to hear additional testimony during the second phase of the trial before determining whether to approve any form of injunctive relief or financial remedies.
In March, a California jury found Meta and Google liable for mental health harms suffered by plaintiff Kaley G.M., who became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, awarding $6 million in damages, including $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.
What do you think about the claims against Meta in this case? Let us know in the comments.
The state is represented by Raul Torrez of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General and Donald Migliori, Linda Singer, Michael Pendell and David Ackerman of Motley Rice LLC.
The Meta lawsuit is New Mexico v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. D-101-CV-2023-02838, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.
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