New Mexico State University regents select next president
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico State University is expected to soon have a permanent leader for the first time since April 2023. The NMSU Board of Regents voted unanimously to select Valerio Ferme as its next president on Thursday.
Ferme most recently served as executive vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Cincinnati. He joined the university in 2019 as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Before Cincinnati, Ferme served as dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Northern Arizona University and divisional dean for the Arts and Humanities at the University of Colorado, where he taught for 19 years and served repeatedly as chair of the Department of French and Italian.
Ferme earned undergraduate degrees in biology and religious studies at Brown University, Master's Degrees in comparative literature and Italian studies from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California-Berkeley, where he was awarded Fulbright and Chancellor's fellowships, according to NMSU.
A start date for Ferme has not been set as contract negotiations are still pending. Those negotiations will be presented for the board's approval at a future open meeting, NMSU said in a news release. Interim President Mónica Torres will continue to serve as leader until Ferme can begin his new role.
Ferme was one of four finalists who were considered for the president position. Other candidates included Arsenio Romero, former New Mexico Public Education Department secretary, Brian Haynes, vice chancellor for student affairs at University of California, Riverside, and Monica Lounsbery, dean of College of Health and Human Services at California State University, Long Beach.
New Mexico Public Education Department secretary resigns
NMSU's national search for a president began after Chancellor Dan Arvizu parted ways with the university in April 2023. Arvizu, who served as leader for five years, called the separation "truly mutual." However, his abrupt departure followed two high-profile incidents involving the New Mexico State University's men's basketball team.
Those incidents included allegations of hazing within the men's basketball team and a separate deadly shooting involving a player on the team.
NMSU's Board of Regents appointed former NMSU President Jay Gogue to serve as the interim chancellor. Gogue immediately took over and served in the position up until his planned departure in June 2024. Torres, who previously served as chancellor of NMSU system community colleges, took over the role in May.
