SILVER CITY, N.M. – The president of Western New Mexico University is officially stepping down following a lot of questions on how he was spending school money. But how the university is handling this departure is already raising some eyebrows.

Auditors say they found president Joseph Shepard spent hundreds of thousands of university dollars on lavish international trips.

During the investigation, the auditor’s office blamed university management and the board for not upholding their responsibilities and enforcing travel rules. 

Shepard addressed the university board with a prepared statement Friday, saying in part: 

“At every graduation ceremony, I witness a fundamental educational process of generational change that touches me deeply.”

Shepard was president of the school for 13 years. On Friday, the board thanked him for his accomplishments. He’s staying with Western New Mexico as a full-time professor at the business school, with a new title of president emeritus. 

He’s also getting a $2 million buy out with $200,000 guaranteed for five years as a newly tenured faculty member. Furthermore, Shepard gets an eight-month sabbatical the day he officially resigns, and when he comes back he gets to work remotely.

KOB 4 reached out to state officials, and we got a response back from New Mexico Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez:

“I have been and remain deeply troubled about the reports of gross negligence and mismanagement of taxpayer funds at Western New Mexico University. Today’s announcement is long overdue, and the health and stability of WNMU moving forward will require further examination and accountability. The Higher Education Department’s audit of WNMU, which began earlier this year, is ongoing. And we expect to be able to relay our agency’s findings to the relevant authorities in the near future.”