The New Mexico State University Board of Regents announced most members of their presidential search committee on Friday.
The committee will be chaired by former Regents President Adelmo “Del” Archuleta. The other nine members who were announced on Friday were College of Business Dean Garrey Carruthers, NMSU Grants President Felicia Casados, Las Cruces City Councilor Dolores Connor, student body President Travis Dulany, Faculty Senate Chair Chris Erickson, New Mexico Association of Counties Director Paul Gutierrez, former basketball coach Lou Henson, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service Eastern District Director Bruce Hinrichs and College of Agriculture Assistant Dean Tim Nesbitt.
State Rep. Mary Helen Garcia called me Friday to express frustration with the fact that the percentages of Hispanics and women on the committee don’t equal the percentages of Hispanics and women at NMSU, and also complained that there are no American Indians on the committee.
“We’re a multicultural state,” she said.
It’s also worth pointing out, for those who have complained about the regents having a heavy hand in the process in the past, that there are no current regents serving on the committee. Last time, there were two regents on the committee, and one of them served as its chair.
The regents said on Friday that discussions are underway with a final, potential committee member who has been invited to serve. They did not name that individual.
You can read more about the committee by clicking here, and more about the search here.
The regents hired the firm Greenwood/Asher and Associates to run the search.