The NMSU Board of Regents invites nominations and applications for the position of president of New Mexico State University.
New Mexico State University (NMSU) was founded in 1888 and is New Mexico’s land grant institution and a comprehensive research university dedicated to teaching, research, public service and outreach at all levels. New Mexico State University’s main campus is located in Las Cruces, NM and sits on 900 acres. NMSU’s campuses and online programs serve more than 22,000 students from across the U.S. and 89 foreign countries. NMSU is a NASA Space Grant College, a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), a minority-serving institution (MSI) and home to the first Honors College in New Mexico. NMSU has a commitment to shared governance and serves a multi-cultural population of students and community members across the state at four campuses, a satellite learning center in Albuquerque, locations in each of New Mexico’s 33 counties, and 12 agriculture research and science centers. NMSU is truly a reflection of the region’s vibrant communities – an exciting place to tackle challenges, find answers to important issues and prepare for the future.
The president serves as the chief executive officer of the university system and is charged with the responsibility for providing strategic direction and general supervision over all affairs of the university. The president is selected by, and reports to, the Board of Regents.
New Mexico State University’s next president should be a visible and engaged leader with a diverse set of skills. The successful candidate must demonstrate how they will preserve the university’s student-focused culture and promote academic excellence. They must display an established history of commitment to inclusion and belonging among under-represented groups and the ability to support an inclusive campus community. The president should have the skills — and, preferably, experience — to manage a culturally diverse and complex academic and research institution. The successful candidate will also understand and embrace the university’s statewide responsibility as the state’s land-grant institution and will be committed to developing and strengthening the university’s statewide campuses, extension offices and experiment stations. The president should value transparency and identify ways in which they will recognize and support students, staff and faculty as essential members of the campus community and how they will engage in shared governance and shared responsibility. The president must excel at building and fostering relationships, including developing strong public-private partnerships; establishing critical relationships with government, community leaders and donors; and providing collaborative leadership alongside colleagues throughout the New Mexico Higher Education system. The next president will also work to build and sustain meaningful relationships with New Mexico’s Indigenous tribes. In addition, the president must have the skills to develop and establish a high-performing leadership team to carry out the vision and implement the strategic direction of the university. In creating clear and articulate expectations for meeting established goals and objectives, the president will unify the campus under a clear vision, setting a direction that inspires all campus constituents to contribute to its success.
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile. In addition, applications should include a statement of contributions to equity, inclusion and diversity addressing the following:
- an understanding of the broader practices impacting equity, inclusion and diversity in the context of higher education, at a land-grant, space-grant, Hispanic-serving and minority-serving institution, and groups that have been historically underrepresented and/or minoritized and marginalized,
- past contributions to equity, inclusion and diversity, and/or
- a vision for future contributions to equity, inclusion and diversity.
WittKieffer is assisting New Mexico State University in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by June 13, 2024. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal. Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Zachary A. Smith, Ph.D., Melody Rose, Ph.D. and Lauren Bruce-Stets at NMSUPresident@wittkieffer.com.
New Mexico State University is a proud and dedicated land-grant, space-grant, Hispanic-serving and minority-serving institution, located in the borderlands and tribal lands regions. With priorities centering equity and inclusion, NMSU is committed to practices that leverage the insight emerging from the intersectional diversity of our students, staff, faculty, and communities that we serve and support, through outreach and Extension, research, and teaching.
New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its program or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs.
