Former New Mexico Governor and NMSU College of Business Dean Dr. GarreyCarruthers is one of five finalists for New Mexico State University President. Dr. Carruthers is joined by one other finalist who is a University administrator, Dr. Daniel Howard, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Denver.
There are also three former college Presidents who are finalists: Dr. Elsa Murano who resigned in 2009 as Texas A&M President after a year and a half on the job; Dr. David Ashley, who was relieved of his duties as president at UNLV in 2009 after three years; and Dr. Guy Bailey, former President at both Texas Tech and the University of Alabama.
A search committee chose the finalists from candidates vetted by a search firm, 57 candidates in all.
Board of Regents Chair Mike Cheney said thorough background checks are continuing on the candidates. They will visit NMSU between April 22 and May 2 for interviews.
From NMSU:
At a special meeting today, Larry Lujan, chair of the presidential search committee, delivered the names of five finalists for the presidency of New Mexico State University to the Board of Regents.
The finalists are:
• David B. Ashley, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering and former President, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
• Guy Bailey, Ph.D., Professor of English and former President, University of Alabama and Texas Tech University
• Garrey Carruthers, Ph.D., Vice President for Economic Development and Dean, College of Business, New Mexico State University
• Daniel J. Howard, Ph.D., Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver
• Elsa A. Murano, Ph.D., Interim Director of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Professor and President Emerita, Texas A&M University
Lujan said he was proud of the work of the committee and felt any one of the five finalists would be an excellent president for New Mexico State University.
"It has been a great honor to serve as chair of this committee and I am proud of how this representative group came together and stayed dedicated to following the process directed by the regents," Lujan said. "The committee was dedicated to what was best for NMSU. We focused on excellence throughout. We wanted to deliver a list of finalists that would make the regents selection difficult because anyone of them will be a great president for our university."
During the search, the committee, with assistance from the consultant, AGB Search, reviewed detailed information on 57 individuals and interviewed 11 candidates. Lujan said the search consultant was a tremendous value to the process and their professionalism ensured a structure that moved quickly and efficiently.
Lujan commended the regents for their vision on the search, starting with a series of statewide meetings that resulted in detailed criteria for the committee to rely on while reviewing what Lujan described as an incredibly talented pool of candidates.
Lujan said the search committee thoroughly vetted candidates and found all questions were answered to their satisfaction.
"It is reflective of the quality of NMSU that these highly qualified individuals want to be our president," he said. "We fully expect that the statewide community will question the finalists and research their backgrounds. We are confident that the discussions will be open and candid."
Regents Chair Mike Cheney commended the search committee for its service to the university.
"On behalf of the board, I want to thank our search committee and consultants for their commitment and focus on the path we outlined for them. The membership of the committee was representative of NMSU's many constituencies and we are pleased with their ability to come together for the benefit of NMSU. They performed in an exemplary manner."
Cheney indicated that the on-campus interviews would begin April 22 and include many opportunities for faculty, staff, students and the community to interact with the candidates. There will be a public forum and reception for each of the finalists as well as a student forum. Both the public and student forums for each of the five finalists will be webcast.
Additional information on the finalists is available on the presidential search website at http://www.nmsu.edu/pressearch/. Full interview schedules for each of the finalists will be available on the site as well.