Gov. Bill Richardson today announced his appointment of Reed Dasenbrock, who has spent most of his professional career at New Mexico State University, as the new secretary of higher education.
He replaces Beverlee J. McClure, who is leaving to take the position of president and CEO of the Association of Commerce and Industry.
“We’ve made great progress on our higher education agenda over the last four years,”
Dasenbrock, who is currently provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico, said he will work with presidents and boards of regents from all of
“For New Mexico to have the vibrant, forward-looking economy that it needs to have in the 21st century, every aspect of the state educational institutions need to work together to promote student success, educational affordability and high-quality education and research programs,” Dasenbrock said.
“Our institutions of higher education are a key partner for building a high-wage economy for
At UNM, Dasenbrock helped boost undergraduate enrollment and retention and graduation rates, increased the number of Native American faculty and ensured that the majority of faculty hired were women or minorities, according to the news release.
Before that, Dasenbrock spent 20 years at NMSU as a professor in the English Department, that department’s chair, and director of the Arts and