NMSU announces 5 finalists for university president

Jonathan Fjeld | KOB

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The New Mexico State University Board of Regents named the five candidates still in the running to become the university’s next president.

This comes after NMSU conducted a national search. During the Regents’ regular meeting Monday, the board revealed these names as the finalists:

  • Valerio Ferme, Ph.D. – Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Cincinnati
  • Brian Haynes, Ph.D. – Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of California, Riverside 
  • Monica Lounsbery, Ph.D. – Dean, College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Long Beach 
  • Neil MacKinnon, Ph.D. – Professor, School of Public Health, Immediate Past Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Augusta University 
  • Arsenio Romero, Ph.D. – Secretary of Public Education, State of New Mexico

Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali led the search. She said the next phase of the presidential search will include each candidate making campus visits. That will begin in early September. The visits will allow members of the NMSU community and the public to hear from the candidates directly about their vision for NMSU.

“We cannot complete this process without the help of all our Aggie community. I hope you will join us for the candidate forums, and I hope you will choose to attend in person if possible,” Devasthali said. “This is an incredibly important decision, and we need your feedback to help us find the best leader for NMSU.”

To find the schedule for their visits and the forthcoming forums, as well to learn more about each finalist, provide feedback on them and tune in online to each public forum, click here.