New Mexico State University announces new president
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State University announced Thursday that the Board of Regents has selected the university’s next president.
“The New Mexico State University Board of Regents, faculty, staff and students are proud to present our new president, Valerio Ferme, Ph.D.,” NMSU announced on social media Thursday.
Valerio Ferme comes from the University of Cincinnati where he served as the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. He beat out four other candidates named as finalists after a national search.
MORE: NMSU announces finalists for university president
Among the candidates was Arsenio Romero, who resigned from his role as secretary of the New Mexico Public Education Department to pursue the NMSU president job.
KOB 4 received a statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s spokesperson about Romero’s departure. It said the governor gave him an ultimatum to either resign and continue pursuing the NMSU job – or stay at his current job and withdraw his candidacy at NMSU. Romero resigned.