NMSU names president finalists, receives squeaky clean audit

New Mexico State University’s five regents unanimously approved a list of finalists under consideration as NMSU’s next president during a special meeting Friday afternoon held by video conference.

The five finalists, selected by a 24-member search committee and in order of Friday’s announcement, are:

Michael Gaylean

Michael Gaylean, a member of the veterinary services faculty at Texas Tech University who has served as provost and a senior vice president of academic affairs, according to his faculty university page. Gaylean earned his bachelor’s degree from NMSU in 1973 and taught in NMSU’s Department of Animal and Range Sciences from 1977 to 1990 and served as superintendent of NMSU’s Clayton Livestock Research Center from 1990 to 1996.

Wayne Jones, Jr.

Wayne Jones, Jr., provost and vice-president of academic affairs at the University of New Hampshire since 2018, after serving previously as dean of the university’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Austin Lane

Austin Lane, chancellor of Southern Illinois University since 2020. Prior to that, he had been president of Texas Southern University, a historically Black university located in Houston, from 2016 to 2020, when he was placed on leave and released from his contract two years early for alleged violations of his contract, to which he admitted no wrongdoing, as he explained to SIU’s student news outlet, the Daily Egyptian.

John Volin

John Volin, executive vice-president of academic affairs and provost of the University of Maine, appointed to the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics last September.

Richard Williams

Richard “Biff” Williams, former president of Utah Tech University since 2014 (when it was still named Dixie State University — Williams championed the 2022 name change). Williams announced his resignation in December, effective in January, stating he was exploring opportunities at other institutions.

From 2018 until 2022, the university was led by two executives instead of one as in the past. President John Floros stepped down in 2022 and was not replaced. NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu resigned as the head of the university last April, after the regents voted not to renew his contract, which would have expired June 30, 2023. Former NMSU president (from 2000 to 2003) Jay Gogue was appointed interim president on Arvizu’s departure.

NMSU regents’ chairperson Ammu Devasthali said the next phase of the selection process would see campus visits by the finalists, with details to be posted on a web page devoted to the executive search: NMSU.edu/president-search.

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Clean financial audit

The other major item of business at the special meeting was a presentation, by public accounting firm Moss Adams, of the university’s annual financial audit. Partner Lisa Todd informed the regents that NMSU received an unmodified or “clean” opinion —indicative that an institution’s financial statements are in order, based on generally accepted accounting principles — in each of three reports prepared for the university.

The three reports focused on NMSU’s financial statements, internal controls over financial reporting and compliance and its expenditures of federal grant funds.

It is not uncommon for audits to turn up findings, of varying degrees of seriousness, even in unmodified opinions; but Todd told the regents there were no essentially no findings this year and no prior year findings to be addressed.

The only exception, she said, was a “minor finding” that deviated from New Mexico audit rule, regarding equipment that been disposed of by the university but not reported to the Office of the State Auditor.

Regent Deborah Romero, the recently retired secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration, said she was “extremely impressed with the fact that there aren’t any audit findings for an organization this big.”