LAS CRUCES — Already sporting a crimson jacket and a broad smile, Barbara Couture entered the Regents Room on Thursday at New Mexico State University to a standing ovation and shouts of “Welcome to NMSU!”

Couture was appointed as NMSU’s first permanent female president Thursday as a standing-room-only crowd packed a special regents meeting and more than 400 others watched the proceedings online.

“Almost as soon as I set foot on this campus, I knew this was the place for us,” Couture, 61, told regents as her husband, Paul, sat beside her.

Couture, a senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, inked a five-year contract effective Jan. 1, according to Blake Curtis, regents chairman.

Her contract calls for a $385,000 annual salary, use of the president’s residence on Geothermal Drive and other perks like a vehicle and country club membership.

Interim President Manuel Pacheco’s contract is $325,000 per year, and previous president Mike Martin was earning $358,785 at the time of his departure in 2008, according to the university.

Most unique about Couture’s compensation package, Curtis said, is a $500,000 retention bonus, which Couture will only receive upon completion of the five-year contract.

“This reflects — not a request, not an outcry, but people screaming at the tops of their lungs, ‘We want someone to stay here!’” Curtis told the Sun-News. He emphasized that, unlike other retention bonuses in which a portion is awarded at the end of each contract year, Couture will receive the bonus only after completing the entire contract. Curtis said the extra incentive is crucial to meeting the need for continuity of leadership.

Read the article.

Finalists in New Mexico State University’s presidential search will be on campus during the next few weeks.

NMSU faculty, students, staff and the general public are welcome and encouraged to participate during the various meetings, forums and press conferences scheduled for the five finalists.

Interview schedules for each of the candidates are available at http://www.nmsu.edu/presidentialsearch/finalists.html (see short bios, vitae and interview schedules.)

A final decision on the next president is expected Thursday, Nov. 19.

Del Archuleta, search advisory committee chair, delivered the names of five finalists for the presidency of New Mexico State University to the Board of Regents at a special meeting today.

The finalists are:

• Barbara Couture, D.A., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Richard Herman, Ph.D., Special Assistant to the President, Professor, recently Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• James Oblinger, Ph.D., Professor, recently Chancellor, North Carolina State University.
• Michael Ortiz, Ph.D., President, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
• Lisa Rossbacher, Ph.D., President, Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga.

“On behalf of our search committee I am proud to present the recommended finalists to our regents, the NMSU community and the State of New Mexico. We offer these candidates for further consideration for the next president of our great institution,” Archuleta said. “I am proud of the hard work put forth by our search committee and search consultants in attracting, interviewing, researching and narrowing a strong pool of candidates to this distinguished list of five finalists. I challenged our committee with the task of presenting the five most qualified candidates who they felt were the best fit for NMSU. I believe the committee has successfully accomplished that goal.”

During the search, the committee and the search firm, Greenwood/Asher and Associates Inc., made more than 420 contacts, reviewed detailed information on about 60 individuals and interviewed 18 candidates.

Archuleta said NMSU should be proud of the outstanding pool of candidates from top-ranked universities who expressed an interest in the university.

“The diversity of the pool of candidates for this position was excellent because of the extensive outreach,” Archuleta said. “Narrowing the pool has been challenging for the search committee because there were so many excellent candidates. These five were chosen for their executive-level experience at large, complex universities and their exceptional accomplishments in higher education.”

Candidates in the overall pool and their career cumulative experiences included: 26 land-grant universities, nine with membership in the Association of American Universities, 36 research universities, 11 president/chancellor positions, 38 provost/vice president positions, and 47 dean experiences. Forty percent of the applicant pool was either women and/or minority.

“We are proud of the diverse mix of the finalists with regard to gender, race, and educational background and leadership experience,” Archuleta said. “We believe such diversity will allow the regents to find the best overall match to lead our university.”

Archuleta said the search committee conducted extensive research and reference checks on the candidates. In each case the committee found that all questions were answered to their satisfaction.

“It is our belief that each finalist has a strong record of positive accomplishments and should advance to the next stage,” he said. “Through the interview process we fully expect that the community will question the candidates and research their backgrounds. We are confident that the discussions will be open and candid. This process will serve to identify the best leader for NMSU.”

Regents Chair Blake Curtis recognized the search advisory 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 efforts to recruit candidates with extensive leadership experiences and substantial accomplishments. These university and community leaders are recognized for having the highest level of integrity and I know they have worked tirelessly and collaboratively on behalf of our great university.”

The search advisory committee included Archuleta, CEO of Molzen-Corbin and Associates; Garrey Carruthers, dean, NMSU College of Business, and vice president for economic development; Felicia Casados, president, NMSU Grants; Dolores Connor, Las Cruces city councilor; Travis Dulany, ASNMSU president; Chris Erickson, NMSU Faculty Senate chair; Paul Gutierrez, executive director of the New Mexico Association of Counties; Coach Lou Henson; Bruce Hinrichs, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service eastern district director; Michael Johnson, president Johnson Performance; Delano Lewis, NMSU senior fellow and director of the International Relations Institute; Tim Nesbitt, assistant dean and director, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; and Elba Serrano, biology professor, NMSU College of Arts and Sciences.

The finalists will be on campus throughout the month of November, with a final decision expected Nov. 19. Detailed schedules for the candidate interviews will be available soon.

Additional information on the finalists is available on the presidential search Web site at http://www.nmsu.edu/presidentialsearch/index.html.

LAS CRUCES — The search for a new president at New Mexico State University should be over by Thanksgiving, after the Board of Regents approved the five finalists presented Tuesday by Presidential Search Committee Chairman Del Archuleta.

The finalists are:

• Barbara Coutoure, D.A., senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln;
• Richard Herman, Ph.D., special assistant to the president, professor and recently chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
• James Oblinger, Ph.D., professor and recently chancellor, North Carolina State University;
• Michael Ortiz, Ph.D., president, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; and
• Lisa Rossbacher, Ph.D., president, Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga.

Archuleta praised the pool of candidates as a very experienced and diverse group, saying that of the 60 applicants, any of the 18 semifinalists the committee interviewed could have been a strong finalist.

Faculty Senate Chairman Chris Erickson, a member of the search committee, agreed.

“This is an outstanding group, any of whom could easily lead this university,” Erickson said. “We had a deep bench to pull from.”

Read the article. (Curriculum vitae and brief bios of each finalist are available.)

KRWG-TV aired this economic forum in conjunction with the Las Cruces Area Chamber of Commerce.

The program features these business professors from New Mexico State University: Jim Peach, Ken Martin, Chris Erickson and Michael Ellis.

Confidence returning, but recovery still slow

“Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday, Sept. 15, that the economy is “very likely” out of the worst recession since the 1930s.

He also warned that unemployment would remain high for some time to come.

Tony Popp, department head and professor of economics at New Mexico State University, said for the most part, he agrees with Bernanke.

“The economy now is not getting any worse, but the question is, how fast until it gets better?” Popp said. “We’re at the bottom, at least, we hope we’re at the bottom. But we didn’t enter into a local recession for about six months after the national economy, so we’re going to lag in getting out.”

How long until the “average Joe” notices the effects of the recession’s end is anyone’s guess, said NMSU business professor Chris Erickson.”

Read the article.

The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with NMSU’s College of Business, will host the Bank of the West Economic Update Forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at the KRWG-TV studio in Milton Hall on the NMSU campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

Featured business professors are Jim Peach, Mike Ellis, Chris Erickson and Ken Martin.

The forum will also be shown on KRWG-TV channel 22 on Thursday, Sept. 17.

The forum is sponsored by Bank of the West, Las Cruces Bulletin, Las Cruces Sun-News and Comcast. For more information call 524-1968, e-mail jcourtney@lascruces.org or visit www.lascruces.org.

Michael Hyman, marketing professor at New Mexico State University, will serve as the Stan Fulton Chair in Marketing at NMSU’s College of Business. (NMSU Photo by Darren Phillips)

Michael Hyman, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Stan Fulton Chair in Business at NMSU’s College of Business.

“I’m honored to be the first person selected as the Stan Fulton Chair,” Hyman said. He currently teaches marketing research and sports marketing as well as doctoral level courses in marketing theory and applied research methods.

The Stan Fulton Chair was created by a $1 million gift from Stan Fulton, owner of Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Earnings from the endowment are used to support the salary of the faculty member holding the chair, as well as program development and other needs.

The Stan Fulton Chair is structured for a senior faculty member to mentor junior faculty members as well as doctoral students. A recommendation for the chair is made by the college’s faculty council and then sent to the dean for approval.

“Mike Hyman completely immerses himself in the scholarship of discovery,” said Elise “Pookie” Sautter, department head for marketing. “His insightful research and writing skills make him highly sought after as a reviewer, as a co-author and an invaluable asset to our marketing Ph.D. program.”

As part of his responsibilities, Hyman will work with Chris Erickson, an NMSU economics professor, to produce New Mexico Business Outlook, an online publication highlighting various aspects of business in the state. Hyman will focus particularly on ethics and public policy, and provide a preliminary venue for faculty members to publish their work.

Hyman earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University in 1984. He taught at the University of Houston and the University of North Texas before joining the NMSU faculty in 1993. Author of more than 100 published scholarly papers and current member of nine journal editorial review boards, he previously held the Wells Fargo and NationsBank professorships in the College of Business. His research interests include consumers’ response to advertising, marketing ethics, survey research methods and knowledge acquisition in academia.

There are four, $1 million or more chairs in the College of Business. They include the Mountain States Insurance Group Endowed Chair, the Garrey E. and Katherine T. Carruthers Chair in Economic Development, the Robin T. Peterson Endowed Chair in Marketing and the Stan Fulton Chair.

Recently elected University Research Council (URC) chair, Dr. Meghan Starbuck is an outstanding professor at the Department of Economics and International Business with a passion for teaching and research.

Dr. Starbuck will lead this stand-alone council established to foster research at New Mexico State University. Its role is to assist the Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, and International Programs, and the Executive Vice President regarding research affairs at the university. Its goals are to increase research and creative activities, improve the institutional environment for research, strengthen the interdependence between research areas and creative activities, and to increase public awareness of NMSU research.

Read the NMSU Research News article.

Apr. 20, 22, 27, 29, 2009: Jim Peach, Regents Professor of Economics, will be giving a presentation at the Academy for Learning in Retirement. He will cover basic macro economics, an overview of the current economic crisis from several different perspectives and other related issues.

Presentations will also be given by:
Dr. Chris Erickson, Associate Professor of Economics
Dr. Ken Martin, Regents Professor of Finance, NMSU
Coffee: 10:00 – 10:30 AM
Program: 10:30 – 12:00 PM
Location: Good Samaritan Auditorium 3011 Buena Vida Circle

Visit the ALR web page for more information: https://dacc.nmsu.edu/comed/ALR/

The New Mexico State University campus community as well as the general public is invited to a panel forum titled “The Financial Crisis: What It Means to You” at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Guthrie Hall Room 100 at NMSU. The goal of the event is to provide answers to questions about the current state of the troubled U.S. financial sector and how those conditions directly affect people on a daily basis.

“This is a situation that impacts every aspect of our lives,” said NMSU President Waded Cruzado. “As a land-grant institution, we have an obligation to be responsive to our communities’ educational needs and to provide opportunities to help our constituents gain a better understanding about topics of interest. I invite the community to join us for this important discussion.”

“We have experts in these areas here at NMSU who study these conditions every day,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development. “We want to make these outstanding faculty members available to those with questions. I am confident they will provide important insight and frank discussion.”

NMSU College of Business professors Chris Erickson, Ken Martin and Jim Peach will discuss the current state of the financial sector and economic conditions locally and nationally as well as the effect those conditions are having on the stock market. Robert Scaling, NMSU’s director of treasury services will speak to the current state of retirement annuities.

An overview from each of the speakers will be kept short in order to maximize the time available for audience interaction. The NMSU community and general public are encouraged to arrive with questions.

NMSU agricultural economics professor James Libbin, left, industrial engineering professor Delia Valles-Rosales, center, mathematical sciences associate professor Maria Mariani, third from left, and mathematical sciences graduate student Maria Pia Beccar-Varela, far right, work with a computer model developed to optimize red chile processing. (NMSU photo by Ben LaMarca)

The industry that brings New Mexicans one of their favorite spicy foods may become more efficient thanks to help from several departments at New Mexico State University.

Delia Valles-Rosales, assistant professor of industrial engineering, James Libbin of agricultural economics, Christopher Erickson of economics and Maria Mariani of mathematical sciences are working on a project that will optimize chile processing for farmers and processors, saving money and preventing wasted crops.

Also helping with the project are graduate students Maria Pia Beccar-Varela of mathematical sciences and Donovan Fuqua of industrial engineering.

The project began in 2005 with a grant from the New Mexico Chile Task Force. The goal is to increase the profitability of the chile industry by finding the most efficient combination of production and harvest practices.

Some chile farms still use laborers to harvest the chile by hand, but to stay competitive many farms have switched to machines. The variation in methods has created a scheduling problem for chile processors, who dry the chile and send it to wholesalers.
The processors do not have the capacity to dry the large amounts of chile that farms send during the peak harvesting season. As a result, the farmer may be told to hold on to some of the crop until it can be processed. Chile can be stored for only 24 to 36 hours between harvesting and processing before it begins to ferment, and this can result in wasted crops and less money for the farmer as well as the processor.

“The industry was organized and built for hand harvesting,” Libbin said.

The processors also determine when farms can begin planting chile. After planting, the farmers must wait for the processor to place an order before they can begin harvesting.

The harvesting season for red chile begins in mid-September and ends around mid-January. “The mid-season is when everyone wants to harvest because the chile will already be dry, so it’s easier for the laborers to pick,” Valles said. Machine harvesting is also easier.

“Not all farms rent a machine; some use labor to pick the chiles, so it’s creating an imbalance. We’re hired to create a balance. When is the right time for the processors to collect chile from the farmers so that the farmers don’t lose money, don’t waste their chile, and they are ready to send it to the processors? What would be the right amount, when?”

Surveys were conducted among 180 farms in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas to determine transportation methods used, what type of harvesting is used, when their optimal harvest time would be compared to their current harvest time and how much crop was lost due to differences between the two times.

The three processors used by Southwestern chile farmers were also surveyed to find their processing rates, production targets, the beginning and ending of their processing season and how they determined the order of harvesting among farmers.

A discrete-time simulation model, which Fuqua and Valles worked on, was created to model the harvesting and processing season and make scheduling improvements.

Beccar-Varela calculated the distribution of the data, using it to create a histogram and other graphics. Mariani applied a mathematical model previously created for financial indices, adapting it to numerical analysis.

Erickson is working on the economical analysis and modeling of the project.

The group is also investigating how storage methods can be improved. “Instead of building something new, we are thinking of using storage that is used in other seasons for other products such as onions,” Valles said.

“What we want is to investigate if it is possible to store the chile in there and probably make small modifications to keep it there for a couple of days, so whenever the processors need chile, the chile’s already in there and the farmers don’t need to be bothered harvesting the day that the processors want,” Valles said. “This will solve a lot of problems.”

Garrey Carruthers, middle, dean of the NMSU College of Business Administration and Economics, talks business with Alejandra Montes, far left, a recent business graduate; Ryan Anderson, a graduate student; Cynthia Ordonez, a senior psychology and forensic science major; and Laura Beltran, a senior accounting and forensic science major. (NMSU photo by Darren Phillips)

The past 12 months have been a dream come true for Garrey Carruthers, dean of the College of Business Administration and Economics at New Mexico State University.

“For 25 years I talked about returning to the university to bring back the kinds of experiences that I’ve had in life and share them with the university, students, faculty and administrators,” he said. “The dream I had for 25 years has come true as far as I’m concerned because I’m able to do that, and I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as I am.”

The former businessman and New Mexico governor, who recently completed his first year as dean, said the vision of the college is to be recognized as one of the premier business colleges in the Southwest.

“I think we have an opportunity with this very fine faculty to really build a powerful and prestigious College of Business Administration and Economics,” he said. “My aspiration before I retire is to make that a reality.”

To be considered one of the best, people have to know who you are and what you are all about. And that is what Carruthers, his faculty and staff have been working to accomplish.

“The university told me that they wanted someone to connect the college to the greater community and the state,” he said. “They wanted someone who can raise funds and do more quality development and we are doing that.”

A month after Carruthers became dean, a $1 million gift was received to endow the first chair ever in the college. The initiative was due largely to the efforts of former dean Danny Arnold, NMSU alumnus Edward Lujan and faculty member Barry Smith, and Carruthers has built on the momentum.

“We are making giant strides in bringing our alumni back to the college to contribute and getting donations from people who are supportive of our program,” Carruthers said. He added that a second million-dollar chair is expected to be announced in the near future.

Reaching out to the community and the state at large is another priority. Carruthers said faculty members are volunteering for committees and participating in activities such as researching background information for the most recent New Mexico First report and creating the monthly New Mexico Business Outlook newsletter, a useful tool for businesses.

“Dean Carruthers has been a breath of fresh air,” said Chris Erickson, associate professor of economics and editor of the newsletter. “From little things like putting a magazine rack in the college lobby for students to the big issues like alumni relations and funded research, he has changed the tone of the college for the better.”

Before taking the helm of the business college, Carruthers was president and CEO of the Cimarron Health Plan. He served as governor of New Mexico from 1987 to 1990. He was an assistant U.S. secretary of the interior from 1981 to 1984 and during 1974 and 1975 he served as special assistant to the U.S. secretary of agriculture.

In addition to his responsibilities as dean, Carruthers serves on boards, commissions and committees such as the New Mexico Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence, the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry and the Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

“We are trying to be a much bigger player than we have been in the past,” he said. “As dean, I will continue to spend 30 percent to 40 percent of my time connecting the college with the state of New Mexico and all its communities.”

Partnerships, within the university and outside in the community, are another priority.

“Before, I didn’t detect as much of an opportunity to collaborate with other colleges (on campus),” he said. “Each college seemed to be an island.”

But times have changed. Recently, the College of Business Administration and Economics and the College of Agriculture and Home Economics developed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with a specialization in agribusiness, and a similar partnership is in the works with the College of Engineering.

One of the biggest successes for the college and the university since Carruthers has been on board was the creation of the Arrowhead Center Inc.

“This is our attempt to form alliances such that we can commercialize the intellectual property that is around New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech, Los Alamos and Sandia,” he said. “The thesis here is, as we develop patents and copyrights around the campus, they bring those ideas to the Arrowhead Center. We are using our MBA and doctoral students to develop business plans, a marketing analysis and then connect those that we think are good ideas to the venture capital community so that we can see if we can generate new high tech companies in New Mexico.”

At the day’s end, the biggest highlight Carruthers recalls over the past year is simply being back on campus.

“I think the greatest pleasure I have is being among the students,” he said. “Talking with the students and mentoring the students; that is what really holds me to this job.”

Laura Beltran and Alejandra Montes appreciate Carruthers’ energy and spirit.

“He provides an enthusiastic and optimistic work environment for his staff including all the students,” said Beltran, a senior accounting major and student worker at the college.

“In addition to exuding professionalism throughout his daily activities, he also takes the time to approach and interact with students around the business college, not only those who work in his office, but all students roaming the lobby and halls,” said Montes, a recent graduate who majored in accounting and international business.

His love for education stems from his own college days at NMSU and the support he received from the faculty.

“I was really successful as a student at NMSU because I had faculty members who cared about me,” he said. “I always felt that the most important aspect of both my undergraduate and graduate education was contact with faculty — being mentored, guided and encouraged by them.”

Carruthers doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon, and said that the future of the college looks bright.

“I want to expand the amount of research we do here,” he continued, “and drive hard for more creative activity.” He also said he would like to reward and justly compensate faculty who do public service and who attract funds that support students.

Carruthers earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New Mexico State and got his Ph.D. in economics from Iowa State University in 1968. Carruthers was part of the NMSU faculty from 1968 to 1985, with interruptions for governmental appointments.

The business community across New Mexico has a new resource to turn to for the latest on New Mexico’s economic health. New Mexico State University’s College of Business Administration and Economics launched the New Mexico Business Outlook, an e-newsletter, earlier this month.

“We are trying to provide a resource for people and let them know about ongoing research at the university that we think will be useful to them,” said Christopher Erickson, the content editor and forecaster of the newsletter. “Our goal is to organize it in a way that is quick and easy to use. People will be able to get a little bit of information at a glance and then if they want more they can click to an in-depth article.”

Every month, the New Mexico Business Outlook will feature articles on the latest business news and on a quarterly basis the newsletter will contain a forecast of the economy.

Erickson, an associate professor of economics at NMSU, has been forecasting the New Mexico economy for 16 years. Prior to that, he was forecasting Arizona’s economy.

The newsletter will be distributed through the mailing lists of the Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI) of New Mexico, the New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association (NMADA) and the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA).

“As the statewide chamber of commerce, ACI is delighted to provide up-to-date economic and business data to its members, and we think New Mexico State University — one of the state’s leading research institutions — will be an excellent partner to help us communicate with our members and educate our members on the latest economic data and conditions,” said John Carey, president of ACI.

ACI has about 1,200 member companies that represent more than 100,000 employees.

“From the oil and gas industry standpoint, this is an opportunity to have easy access to important business indicators concerning the economic health of the state,” said Robert M. Gallagher, president of NMOGA.

NMOGA has 300 member companies in the oil and gas industry.

“The members of the NMADA are always interested in finding ways to partner with universities to further their goals and to enhance the economic development of New Mexico,” said Charles Henson, president of NMADA. “We hope that by helping New Mexico State University in the distribution of this newsletter we will open new doors for the efforts of New Mexico State.”

NMADA has 130 new car member dealerships statewide.

The newsletter is free and open to anyone who wishes to receive a copy.

For more information on the New Mexico Business Outlook, contact Erickson at (505) 646-5715 or at chrerick@nmsu.edu.