On July 14, 2023, the New Mexico State University Board of Regents presented an update on the ongoing search for their next leader, confirming that the selected candidate would serve as the university's president, not a chancellor. Ammu Devasthali, chair of the NMSU Board of Regents, expressed confidence in the committee's efforts, anticipating the recruitment of an exceptional individual to assume the role of NMSU's new president according to a press release by NMSU.
“I am confident the efforts of this entire committee will lead to the selection of an outstanding new president for NMSU,” Devasthali told the NMSU newsroom.
In the meeting, the board disclosed the members of the search committee responsible for assisting in the selection of NMSU's next president. The committee, chaired by Ben Woods, consists of several individuals representing diverse backgrounds and expertise expressed Devasthali.
“We are fortunate that Ben Woods, NMSU’s former senior vice president for external relations, has agreed to serve as chair for this committee,” said Devasthali.
Woods brings a 25-year history at NMSU, where he has worked under multiple university presidents and was the former president of the Board of Directors for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce. His commitment extends to various other positions, including serving on the Mountain View Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees, the U.S. Bank Citizen Advisory Board, and the Las Cruces Public Schools Foundation. Notably, Woods's influence also reaches beyond NMSU, as he played a crucial role as an inaugural member of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority and as a member of the New Mexico Workforce Development Board according to a press release by NMSU.
As part of its search process for the next leader, NMSU has conducted two listening sessions in Las Cruces, providing an opportunity for community input. In the upcoming weeks, the university plans to host additional sessions in various locations, including Hobbs, Gallup, Española, Raton, Tucumcari, Deming, Carrizozo, Albuquerque, Grants and Alamogordo. To ensure comprehensive feedback, NMSU has partnered with the public opinion company Research and Polling, aiming to gather input from a diverse range of individuals and stakeholders according to the release.
“This is an exciting time for NMSU,” said Devasthali. “For generations, the work done at our university, and in service to our land-grant mission, has changed the lives of countless people for the better. Those efforts haven’t stopped – they continue to happen each day and will still be happening long into the future.”
