NMSU names five, including the PED secretary and former regent, for presidential finalists

New Mexico State University’s Board of Regents announced five candidates as finalists for the job of president.

It’s the second such slate of finalists the Regents have announced as the search for Dan Arvizu’s replacement. The regents moved on from Arvizu in December 2022, appointing an interim president for a year, then a second interim president this summer after rejecting several finalists in the first search.

Now, five more finalists – including one with close ties to the board – will seek success where the first group failed.

The most notable name on the list is New Mexico Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero. Romero was an NMSU regent before his appointment to the PED in February 2023. The other candidates 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 

In a news release announcing the candidates, Regent Chair Ammu Devasthali thanked the search committee for its work.

“We cannot complete this process without the help of all our Aggie community," Devasthali said.

Devasthali also called on the NMSU community to join in upcoming candidates' forums and meet-and-greet opportunities.

“This is an incredibly important decision, and we need your feedback to help us find the best leader for NMSU,” Devasthali said.

The schedule for those visits and forums will be announced soon, but according to its website, NMSU plans for the finalists to visit campus in September and for the regents to make a decision that same month.