New Mexico State University President Mike Martin is a candidate for the leadership job at Purdue University in
Martin confirmed to the Las Cruces Sun-News that he has spoken with the school’s board of trustees about the job. But he played down the likelihood that he’s leaving.
“Rumors are rumors. I’m still the president of NMSU,” the newspaper quoted Martin as saying. “I’ve had a casual conversation with a couple of (Purdue) trustees.”
Purdue’s current president is retiring at the end of June. The school has been in the process of searching for a new leader since September.
Sources say Martin is a top contender for the job. They also say that, unlike past opportunities that Martin turned aside, he might be very interested in making this move to
Martin told the Sun-News he had not traveled to Purdue for an interview.
Laura Conniff, an NMSU regent, said it’s “not so much Mike looking at Purdue. Purdue is looking at Mike. We do not want to lose him.”
Regent Bob Gallagher told the newspaper that Purdue “is not the only (university) that has contacted him in the past three months. It’s obviously a compliment to Mike’s ability… If he leaves, it will leave a big void. He has elevated our university to a national level that I believe has given us stature.”
Martin has been president since 2004 and currently makes a base annual salary of just under $300,000. He has been credited with helping turn around Aggie athletics and reorganizing the university’s research system, but has also faced controversy surrounding employee wages and negotiations with union officials.