NMSU names 16-person presidential search panel [Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.]

Dec. 20--LAS CRUCES -- Sixteen people will be at the forefront of a search for a new president to lead New Mexico State University's campuses.

Officials announced Thursday that the volunteer panel will be led by Larry Lujan of Albuquerque, an Aggie alumnus and CEO of Manuel Lujan Agencies, an insurance business. It will also include one member of NMSU's governing board, Student Regent Chris Dulany. Dulany, whose term as a regent ends this month, will be a non-voting member.

Ultimately, the panel will be tasked with making recommendations to the Board of Regents about the best candidate or candidates.

"As I have mentioned before, it is the desire of the board to select a president by May 2013," said NMSU Regent Chairman Mike Cheney, in a news release.

Cheney praised the composition of the panel for its diversity. Other members include the chairman of the Faculty Senate, which is the main faculty association on campus, and the Associated Students of NMSU, which represents the student body. Michael Morehead, who leads the College of Education, is the only dean on the panel.

NMSU is in the process of hiring a professional search firm, which in turn will report to the search committee, officials said.

Cheney said he expects the first search panel meeting will happen in January.

"We will work hard to select the best possible leader for our institution," Lujan said, also in a news release.

The announcement was made following a series of "listening sessions" around

the state, in which residents, students and faculty chimed in upon the president search.

This fall, some 14,100 full-time students attended NMSU's main campus, according to a campus fact book. Another 3,900 part-time students were enrolled.

In addition, N.M.SU runs campuses in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Grants. Dona Ana Community College, too, reports to NMSU. The university also oversees an Cooperative Extension network, tasked with getting useful research into the hands of the public.

Diana Alba Soular can be reached at (575) 541-5443; follow her on Twitter @AlbaSoular

Other members

-- Festus Addo-Yobo, director of NMSU Black Programs

-- Dr. Felicia Casados, president of NMSU-Grants

-- Ramon Dominguez, associate professor, College of Education

-- Paul Gutierrez, an Aggie alum; executive director, New Mexico Association of Counties

-- Deborah Hicks, CEO of Pettigrew and Associates, Hobbs

-- Jerean Hutchison, co-owner of La Posta Restaurant, Mesilla

-- Judy Johnson of Nambe, Aggie alumnus

-- Dr. Tim Ketelaar, N.M.SU Faculty Senate chairman

-- Mike Morehead, dean of education college

-- Stan Rounds, LCPS superintendent

-- Scott Schafer, retired banker, rancher, Carrizozo

-- Steve Stochaj, professor, College of Engineering

-- Breanna Sylvas, president of Associated Students of NMSU

-- Lt. Col. Andy Taylor, N.M.SU's Army ROTC

-- Student Regent Chris Dulany

Feedback

-- To give feedback on the search for a New Mexico State University president, email: [email protected]

Learn more

For more information about the presidential search, visit:

http://www.nmsu.edu/pressearch/feedback.html

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(c)2012 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

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