Hadley Hall at New Mexico State University is the location of the university’s administrative offices. (NMSU)

Following a national search, the New Mexico State University Board of Regents has announced five finalists for the university’s next president.

In a regular meeting Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, the board revealed the names of the finalists, who were selected from a nationwide pool of candidates with the assistance of search firm WittKieffer and an internal presidential search committee led by Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali.

The finalists are:

• Valerio Ferme, Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Cincinnati
• Brian Haynes, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of California, Riverside 
• Monica Lounsbery, Ph.D., Dean, College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Long Beach 
• Neil MacKinnon, Ph.D. Professor, School of Public Health, Immediate Past Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Augusta University 
• Arsenio Romero, Ph.D., Secretary of Public Education, State of New Mexico

Devasthali said the next phase of the presidential search will include campus visits from each candidate beginning in early September, allowing opportunities for members of the NMSU community and the public to hear from the candidates directly about their vision for NMSU. The schedule for those visits and forums will be announced soon and will be available online at nmsu.edu/president-search, along with more information about each finalist, links to webcasts of each public forum, and feedback forms to provide comments to the board.

“We cannot complete this process without the help of all our Aggie community. I hope you will join us for the candidate forums, and I hope you will choose to attend in person if possible,” Devasthali said. “This is an incredibly important decision, and we need your feedback to help us find the best leader for NMSU.”

Devasthali also thanked her fellow members of the search committee, which comprised a diverse group of NMSU and community stakeholders, for their efforts. Preparation for the search included a series of listening sessions hosted around the state in 2023 and development of a leadership profile identifying priorities for the next leader’s skills and experience.

“The committee worked diligently and represented our great university extremely well through the entire process,” she said. “I’m so proud of our fellow Aggies for all of their hard work and commitment. Their efforts to carefully review the candidate pool and advise the board through this process were truly appreciated.”

For additional information about the presidential search process, including updates about next steps, visit nmsu.edu/president-search.

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