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.

Barbara Couture was selected by the Board of Regents at 10:20 a.m. today as president of New Mexico State University.

Barbara Couture was selected by the Board of Regents at 10:20 a.m. today as president of New Mexico State University.

“This process has been inclusive and efficient,” said Blake Curtis, Board of Regents chairman. “All the stakeholders have been represented.”

Barbara Couture, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since 2004, was the first of the two female finalists for the position of president to visit campus in November and said she would stay at NMSU a while.

“I’m not an institution hopper,” Couture said during her campus visit. “My intention is to stay and help build this university.”

Javier Gonzales, vice chairman of the Board of Regents said going through another failed search was not an option this time.

“I believe today marks a new day at NMSU,” Gonzales said, “a new day that brings promise and stability.”

Couture graciously accepted the position at the special Board of Regents meeting.

“I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be here,” Couture said. “I want this university to be absolutely the best it can be. I am honored to be your next president.”

Couture has held leadership roles and initiated diversity projects at three major research colleges, including starting the American Indian Studies Plateau Center at Washington State University, where she served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts for six years.

“Study hard, do your homework and I will do everything I can do to make you successful at NMSU,” Couture said when asked what message she would like to send to students.

An Outgoing Interim

Dr. Manuel Pacheco has been Interim-President of NMSU since June and said he looks forward to a smooth transition for Dr. Couture when she takes over in January.

“She is going to be here on January 1 and I will be available to her and the Board of Regents to help in any way they need,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco reflected on his time at NMSU, stating he knew that coming to campus would be a good experience but his time here has exceed all expectations.

“Students here are absolutely terrific, I have been impressed with how thoughtful, bright and appreciative the students and student leaders have been,” Pacheco said.

Unique Experience for Student Leaders

Associated Students of NMSU President Travis Dulany and Student Regent Chris Anaya had a rare opportunity to be involved in the process of selecting the universities next president.

“It was a great experience,” Anaya said. “You have an idea of what the process is going to be like going in. I have had the opportunity to learn about how higher education works and what everyone can bring to the table.”

Regent Anaya said Couture’s inclusiveness towards students made her an impressive choice.

“Couture is committed to making sure the decisions she will make are relayed back to the students,” Anaya said.

Travis Dulany said he is excited to help Couture acclimate her to campus and the students.

“I will do my best to orient her to campus, teach her the fight song and bring knowledge about the students,” Dulany said.

Couture on Coming to NMSU

“A new president should partner with the community,” Couture said. “To attract high-quality faculty and students [the new president] must have high-quality communication, stability, emphasis on excellence and good, transparent communication.”

Competing for Couture

Couture was selected as a presidential finalist at the University of Albany in New York in February, but was not selected. Couture was also a finalist at Southern Illinois University and visited the university. Overall, Couture said she enjoyed her visit to NMSU and was impressed with the growth of the campus and the community, including the construction of the new convention center, Center for the Arts and the Native American Cultural Center.

“[Las Cruces] is a city just bursting with potential,” Couture said. “The citizen growth [is proof] that lots of people want to come here.”

Couture said she is also dedicated to the land-grant mission of the university and would work to meet the expectations of the campus and the Las Cruces community.

“I think the community is looking for a collegial atmosphere; strong, stable leadership,” Couture said. “That’s what I hope to provide.”

The finalists

Couture was chosen out of five finalists, including Lisa Rossbacher, president of Southern Polytechnic University in Georgia; James Oblinger, former chancellor of North Carolina State University; Michael Ortiz, California State Polytechnic University Pomona; and Richard Herman, former chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, visited campus in November.

The withdrawals

Ortiz withdrew his name from consideration because of unfinished business at Cal Poly, according to an e-mail statement from Ortiz published in the Cal Poly Times student newspaper, and Herman withdrew from candidacy on Nov. 11, citing personal reasons.

Keep visiting www.roundupnews.com for more updates on the presidency, and pick up our “Year in Review” print edition of The Round Up on Nov. 30.

LAS CRUCES – Jim Oblinger responded to concerns about support for graduate students, continuity of leadership and fundraising during the final candidate forum for students in the New Mexico State University presidential search.

Oblinger, the former chancellor at North Carolina State University, who resigned in June following questions about the hiring of then-first lady Mary Easley at the university, was at NMSU on Monday.

Continuity is something he would bring to NMSU, Oblinger told the few students who attended the forum and others who watched a Webcast and submitted questions online.

Oblinger cited his long tenure at NCSU – he’s been in administrative positions there for 23 years – and his commitment to the land-grant mission.

“I’m a product of the land-grant system,” Oblinger said.

Prompted to share how he’d help graduate students, Oblinger described a graduate student supplement plan in place at North Carolina State that provides financial support to students, as well as professional development workshops that he said helped prepare students to deal with situations once they leave the university.

Read the article.

Far left: Nancy Oretskin, Professor, Department of Finance, participates in the March of Dimes HIgh Heels for High Hopes fundraiser, Nov. 19, 2009.

High Heels for High Hopes benefits March of Dimes

Seventeen high-heeled models take to the catwalk Thursday, Nov. 19, for the second annual High Heels for High Hopes gala, a runway-style fashion show and silent auction to benefit the southern New Mexico chapter of March of Dimes, a nonprofit dedicated to improving babies’ health by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

The Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor Blvd., is the setting for the high-stylin’ event, which will take over most of the first floor of the hotel including the lobby and adjacent ballrooms. Local musician Daniel Park will provide entertainment during dinner and the silent auction.

Silent auction items include a trip donated by Adventure Travel plus jewelry, massage certificates, original hand-painted pieces and food and theater packages “Ticket holders can enjoy a full Italian buffet beginning at 6:30 p.m., then at 7 p.m., VIP ticket holders will be invited to the main ballroom for a pre-show surprise, in-seat champagne service and special gift bags,” said Becky Horner, executive director of the March of Dimes.

Only 40 of the 120 VIP seats were still available at press time.

Doors for the fashion show open for general seating at 7:30 p.m. and DJ “H-Bomb” will spin some tunes while guests find their seats.

Master of ceremonies, Comcast’s Steve Chavira and special guest Ivanna Bump will keep the evening moving.

Business models

The highlight of the show is the 17 models, some of them mothers of babies born prematurely.

Video footage of the models before and during their photo shoot opens the show. Horner said the women have been working with their salons to choreograph and rehearse their stroll down the 60-foot runway. The elite group of Doña Ana County women, nominated for their service and leadership within the community, joined with local salons to raise $70,000 dollars to support research, education and community service opportunities through March of Dimes.

Each woman is committed to raising $3,500 or more – contributing to the $70,000 campaign goal.

Read the article.

Risk manager shares lessons learned

Administrators teach it, politicians have touted it and risk managers live by it. Preparation and prevention are key in avoiding costly mistakes and the disaster that can sometimes ensue, and folks in the insurance business have to be prepared for even the wildest of hypothetical situations.

That’s according to Cheryl Johnson, executive director of risk management for the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th largest school district in the United States.

Johnson, who oversees the risk management operations for the 163,000-student, 20,000-employee district, with $1.7 billion worth of property, said she’s learned many valuable lessons throughout her career.

“Analyzing past data is the foundation of risk management,” Johnson said. “Think about the worst thing that can go wrong and then act pro actively to prevent it. Things in life are preventable and predictable.”

Johnson spoke to a group of administrative employees from Las Cruces Public Schools and risk management students at New Mexico State University Wednesday, Nov. 4, at a lecture organized by the NMSU Finance Department.

“Probably one of the most common or ridiculous situations is the slip and fall,” Johnson said. “How many of you have seen a teacher get on a table to put up a poster board? What about a chair? What about a chair with wheels? A lot of these people have master’s degrees, right? Where’s the common sense?”

From small workplace injuries to devastating natural disasters, Johnson and her staff of nine work daily to prevent costly accidents of all types.

“We’ve had schools burn down, injuries, auto accidents, all that and more,” she said.

Read the article.

To help students make strong and direct connections with the real world’s economy, business and government, the Stock Market Game is used in classrooms from the fourth grade through college.

The game program, run by the Securities Industries and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), is a live trading simulation in which students strive to create a high-performing portfolio based off the real marketplace. The students use internet research and real news updates to learn core academic concepts and skills that can help them succeed in the classroom and in life.

A recent study by Learning Points Associates has shown that students who have participated in the Stock Market Game perform better in mathematics and financial literacy than students who haven’t. The study also asked teachers about how they implemented the game to fit their class room, and how the positive results were achieved regardless of how the game was played, either basic or advanced. This result suggests the game is easy to implement using standard teaching practices.

“We’re hoping the results of the survey spark an interest for using the game among more math teachers,” said Ken Martin, the program director for the Stock Market Game Program for the state New Mexico and professor of finance at New Mexico State University’s College of Business.

During the 2008-2009 academic year 94 teachers in New Mexico used the game in 74 schools with a total of 4,224 students participating, Martin said. The game is also used at NMSU as a personal finance course.

“The game benefits the students by getting them to think about their financial future in a world of high marketing,” Martin said. “It shows them to save and invest but also that the stock market is risky, and they must take precautions such as diversifying their investments. In New Mexico, success in the game is determined, not just by financial return, but also how much risk was involved in a portfolio.”

For more information, contact Martin at (575) 646-1236.

AggieVision has become the source on Aggie sports for all fans, students, alumni and faculty. In addition to broadcasting every home sporting event, AggieVision is growing on the Web. Utilizing the Web aspect of broadcasting allows Aggies – wherever they may be – to access the most up-to-date Aggie stats and highlights. In KRWG’s third year of producing the show they have transformed the former coaches’ shows into NMSU Sports Weekly.

One of the most impressive changes was adding additional episodes to extend NMSU Sports Weekly programming until the middle of May. This allows for the shows to cover some of NMSU’s spring sports such as baseball, softball and tennis. The reason for the growth and development of AggieVision can be attributed to the preparation of Executive Director of University Broadcasting Glen Cerny and AggieVision General Manager Joe Brackman.

AggieVision is growing on the Web.

Cerny explained some of what goes on behind the scenes and how the filming of NMSU Sports Weekly is planned.

“The current taping schedule for NMSU Sports Weekly really begins about two weeks in advance,” Cerny said. “The AggieVision staff either takes our broadcast footage or shoots highlights from various games to use. Features with coaches or student athletes are created and other packages are prepared.”

Cerny described the schedule in further detail and explained how AggieVision plans to distribute the show.

Cerny said, “Monday morning either the football or basketball interviews are conducted or the wrap-around shots are completed. By Tuesday the program is closed-captioned and on Wednesday it is sent to the satellite for regional distribution. Obviously, it is an ongoing activity for the 30 weeks of production.”

AggieVision currently has four full-time employees and the rest of the crew is students. Brackman talked about some of the experiences former crewmembers have had since working for AggieVision.

“Last year one of our students interned at Fox Sports Arizona. Former students have moved on to opportunities such as ESPN,” Brackman said. “The students that work for AggieVision are getting hands-on, real-world experience in sports broadcasting that they can’t find anywhere else.”

Brackman provided further insight as to what role the Web is playing in the growth of AggieVision.

“AggieVision provides all of their games online (via streaming), and every feature and package gets posted on the AggieVision YouTube channel,” Brackman said. “The shows also get posted to the AggieVision iTunes page. It’s free to subscribe and have clips and updates downloaded to your computer or iPod.”

Written by Tony Reyes.

LAS CRUCES – Michael Ortiz knows the New Mexico State University community may be wary of a presidential finalist who is a former Lobo, but he says his University of New Mexico background is nothing to worry about.

“I have more maroon in my closet than red,” Ortiz joked on Monday during his visit to NMSU.

The native of Carrizozo said he wasn’t looking for a new job – he’s happy as president of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona – but when Interim NMSU President Manuel Pacheco contacted him and suggested he look into the vacancy here, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to return to New Mexico and broaden his reach.

“Coming home to a position that will have a statewide impact through its land-grant mission,” is appealing, Ortiz said.

Ortiz noted that CSPU Pomona is neither a land-grant institution nor a Research I institution like NMSU, but pointed to similarities in the schools’ emphasis on agriculture, technology and engineering. He said CSPU also boasts a diverse student body, with 71 percent of students coming from racial and ethnic minorities – about 33 percent Latino, he said.

Coming from a small, predominantly Hispanic community, and being in the first generation of his family to attend college, Ortiz said he places great value on diversity and programs that support minority students. He’s fought, he said, to keep programs like cultural centers from becoming casualties of budget cuts at the school.

“I’ve fought those critics off,” Ortiz said of those who suggest that getting rid of the centers could save the university money. “Now they know it’s a priority, and they don’t go after them anymore.”

He touts his fundraising experience, noting that last year yielded the best fundraising totals ever at his university. Finding the money, he said is all about making connections.

Read the article.

LAS CRUCES – Presidential search finalist Michael Ortiz, the fourth of five candidates to visit campus, answered some of the more pressing questions on the minds of New Mexico State University students Monday — topics like improving the graduation rate among Hispanics, transparency in the administration and, of course, parking.

Ortiz explained how California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, addressed the problem of congested parking on campus — a situation that many NMSU students also find problematic — by creating special parking areas for students who ride-pool, changing the campus bus route to better accommodate students who need to reach the center of campus and building a parking structure.

Students attending the forum at Corbett Center nodded in approval as they learned of the changes, but Ortiz cautioned that the improvements have a downside.

“Students pay $90 per semester to park,” he said.

Asked about how he might address what some view as a problem with transparency at NMSU, Ortiz said he makes himself available to answer questions and get a sense of what’s on students’ minds.

“Transparency is all about communication,” he said. To that end, CSPU Pomona implemented “Pizza with the President” lunches that draw hundreds of students with questions, grievances and ideas. Budget cuts have downgraded the events to “Brown-bag with the President,” but Ortiz said the some of the feedback from students has resulted in ideas the university has been able to use.

Read the article.

Lisa Rossbacher

The second woman presidential candidate for New Mexico State University visited campus Friday and shared her experience in outer space research, diversity and her thoughts on how to recruit talented students, faculty and staff.

Lisa Rossbacher, who has served as president of Southern Polytechnic State University in Georgia for the past 12 years, said she was very impressed with NMSU and enjoyed her time visiting Las Cruces and the campus.

“We have a long-standing appreciation for New Mexico,” Rossbacher said, adding that her husband orders a box of Big Jim green chile from New Mexico every year and that she and her husband have spent a few holidays in New Mexico.

Rossbacher has worked with the Alliance for Minority Participation, encouraging underrepresented students to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Rossbacher said Southern Polytech ranks number one in the percentage of African American students who earn degrees in the STEM fields, and diversity is important to her.

“We’re tremendously impressed with everything going on at New Mexico State University, [including] diversity and the way it’s embraced and [taken to] the heart of the university,” Rossbacher said.

Rossbacher said communication is a key part of attracting the best staff, faculty and students to NMSU, and she said she has been building up a list of qualified individuals who would add to the diversity and quality of the institution.

“Presidents always have to be recruiting. I take that to heart,” Rossbacher said. “I’m always recruiting and building a strong pool of applicants.”

Rossbacher said she is attracted to NMSU, for many reasons, including the land grant and space grant missions as well as the climate of Las Cruces.

“I see [the space grant mission] as a great parallel to the land grant mission,” Rossbacher said.

Rossbacher completed a space program at Johnson Space Center, and out of the 5,000 applicants, was one of 120 to be invited to the center for training and an interview.

“That experience gave me a lot of material to [share] with students,” Rossbacher said.

Kristina Medley is the news editor and can be reached at trunews@nmsu.edu.

Watch Webcasts of the public candidate forums and see each finalist’s complete visit schedule, biography and curriculum vitae.

LAS CRUCES – A few dozen New Mexico State University faculty members turned out Monday to hear from presidential search finalist Richard Herman, who until last month was chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

While attention was paid to what Herman referred to as “the elephant in the room” – the admissions scandal at the school that ultimately led to his resignation – most of the questions were designed to learn Herman’s views on things like how to recruit and retain top-notch faculty and increase research productivity.

Bill Quintana, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, pointed out that in a state with a population that is 44 percent Hispanic and a county that’s 70 percent Hispanic, the university’s faculty population is only 11 percent Hispanic.

Herman agreed with Quintana’s assessment that the percentage was lower than it should be – something he said he would take seriously if he were hired.

“Part of it is looking for talent and recognizing that excellence comes in all varieties,” Herman said. “One has to be aggressive about these programs.”

He noted that investment in startup packages that include incentives like research equipment pays off for universities, even during tough economic times.

Read the article.

LCSN Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of five stories profiling the finalists in the New Mexico State University presidential search.

LAS CRUCES – Richard Herman, the first of five finalists in the New Mexico State University presidential search to visit the campus, admits that he’s had a rough five months.

Having resigned his post last month as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign amid an admissions scandal in which the university was accused of giving special attention to politically connected candidates, Herman acknowledged that he made a mistake by not walking away from what he characterized as a culture of political influence that predated him.

“You have to think about the trail of a decision,” Herman said Monday during a news conference at NMSU. “Here it led to something that was not transparent to the community.”

Herman said he hoped to be judged, not just on the accusations, but on the fullness of his record: His work to diversify the faculty and the student body, reach out to the community and increase research funding.

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.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the NMSU Police Department is required annually to notify students and employees about crime statistics for the Las Cruces and Doña Ana Community College campuses. The 2009 report is accessible on the police department’s Web site (http://www.nmsupolice.com/AnnualReports/2009AnnualReport.pdf).

The report contains information regarding safety and security programs, policies and procedures in place at NMSU and DACC.

The Clery Act requires the report to list statistics for seven specific criminal activities over a three-year period (2006 – 2008): murder (including manslaughter), rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and hate crimes. Federal law requires these acts be broken down further to reveal where criminal activity took place: on campus, in residence facilities, off-campus fraternities or off-campus public property. A more comprehensive listing of crime and traffic incident statistics going back to 1989 may be found on the police department’s Web site.

For the most part, crime statistics have trended downward on the NMSU and DACC campuses for the past three years.

The numbers reveal that burglary has been by far the most common crime on the Las Cruces campus in each of the past three years, with an across-the-board high of 92 incidents in 2007. The good news is that burglaries were cut by nearly two-thirds in 2008, to 32 incidents.

“The NMSU Police Department is responsible for the investigation of all crimes that take place on university premises, which includes the filing of appropriate police reports and filing of annual reports and statistics,” pointed out Deputy Chief of Police Stephen Lopez. “However, other agencies have concurrent jurisdiction in many cases. We make efforts to encourage other agencies taking reports to notify us so the incident can be reflected in the annual crime reports, and while there has been a history of excellent cooperation and data sharing among local law enforcement agencies in Doña Ana County, the cooperation from state and federal agencies in sharing this type of data is not as strong, due in large part to secrecy requirements by those agencies.

“These agencies generally don’t investigate crimes on campus, though, so we believe the data in the report is pretty comprehensive,” he added.

From 2006-2008, no murders, or hate crimes were reported on campus. Aside from robbery and arson, all areas reported a decline in incidences from 2007 to 2008. Four robberies were reported in 2008, where none had been reported the previous two years, and arsons increased from one report to three reports in the same time period, matching the total arson incidences reported from 2006.

Statistics on fires and fire responses other than arson are managed by the NMSU Fire and Emergency Services Department, which also publishes the Annual Fire Safety Report, available online at http://www.fire.nmsu.edu/docs/Annual_Report.pdf.

In all, the past three years have seen reports of 165 burglaries, 51 motor vehicle thefts, 22 aggravated assaults, 12 rapes, seven arsons and four robberies.

“It is important to note that the annual report contains the data for the Las Cruces and DACC campuses combined,” said Lopez. “It’s impossible to allocate crimes to one campus or the other when so many of the facilities, like housing and parking lots, are shared. Even arrests made on campus streets are complicated, since many of our streets run by or through both campuses. This makes comparisons to single campus colleges and universities across News Mexico and the country inaccurate.”

Lopez noted that additional cautions regarding comparisons of colleges and universities based on crime statistics may be found on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Web site (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/about/variables_affecting_crime.html).

Individual printed copies of the report may be requested from the NMSU Police Department by e-mailing police@nmsu.edu.

YouTube. Twitter. Facebook. MySpace. These are all ways NMSU is reaching out to its community and the world through Internet social media.

But how do you access these sources of information? NMSU recently launched its social media landing page http://www.nmsu.edu/socialmedia which lists the various campus colleges, departments and organizations using social media to reach the general public, faculty, staff and students.

Frank Torres, Web developer with the university’s Media Productions department, says NMSU is up to speed in the social media world.

“In the past year social media utilities have been proliferating throughout the NMSU community. Students, departments and colleges have been adopting these technologies to do many things, such as build awareness of programs, increase enrollment and to communicate and collaborate with the NMSU community,” Torres said. “Here at Media Productions we have decided to provide a central online location where our users can go to access NSMU social media communities.”

Site visitors can access the social media landing page from the NMSU homepage (http://www.nmsu.edu/). The link is housed on the site menu under campus life.

“At this point in time, the social media landing page consists of five categories – YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and ‘Other Networks,’” Torres said. “We are anticipating the lists of participating channels to grow as more departments adopt social media.

“And now that Media Productions is going forward with the production of educational software for the iPhone, we will be expanding the Social Media landing page to include these developments,” he continued.

There are nine YouTube channel links that allow you to see what’s happening via videos created by NMSU community members.

“We have established YouTube channels for the satellite campuses and several colleges and departments within NMSU,” said Torres. “Each unit can now leverage the YouTube environment to display video specific to their mission and goals with the intent to show the world their strengths and uniqueness.”

Department or college video masters, who serve as gatekeepers for their channel’s content, determine their particular college or department channel mission.

There are 16 Twitter accounts listed, as well as 10 Facebook and four MySpace links.

“Similar to the YouTube model, whoever owns the Twitter account decides how it is to be used. For example, Twitter can be used to connect with other Twitter users, it can be used to broadcast events, drive traffic to other Web spaces or to resurface and share information.” Torres said.

Torres has been campaigning with each of the university’s colleges to encourage the adoption of social media to meet their business goals. “Social media allows everybody to be a publisher and have a voice. With the economy in the state it is in, taking advantage of the no-cost, easy-to-use social media technologies is a powerfully effective way to show the world who we are, what we do and how we do it.”

To learn more about social media and how to use them for your department or college contact Frank Torres at fjtorres@nmsu.edu.

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Additional information from the College of Business:
CoB “All News & Social Media” http://business.nmsu.edu/news/all.

• YouTube-College of Business: Videos, Playlist, Subscribe
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmsucob
• Facebook:
  • Dean Garrey Carruthers: http://tinyurl.com/y8kysoe
  • NMSU College of Business Alumni Networking: http://tinyurl.com/y9pdflc. A group that provides NMSU College of Business alumni the opportunity to network, stay up-to-date with College events and activities, and connect with former classmates.
• Student Ambassadors’ MySpace

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.)

OASIS works to raise awareness about sustainability

As the Year of Sustainability comes into its final months, a club on campus is hoping to increase awareness about the importance of sustainability through films, recycling and community events.

The Organization of Aggie Students Inspiring Sustainability was formed in 2008 by two students who had taken a class on the importance of organic agriculture, said Mark Uchanski, faculty co-adviser of OASIS. Since then, the OASIS club has expanded to over 50 students working to increase green awareness across New Mexico State University, Uchanski said.

“This started as a grassroots student group with an environmental focus,” Uchanski said. “The focus is to inspire sustainability education in Las Cruces and at NMSU.”

Uchanski said OASIS became a fundamental part of the Year of Sustainability, initiated by former Interim President Waded Cruzado, by helping with recycling and compost projects. Uchanski said the grade from the recent sustainability report gives NMSU room for improvement.

“The audit group [who determined the sustainability report grade] looks at all efforts, including building, investments, and how NMSU is spending money to help with education,” Uchanski said. “In many categories, we did very well, but there are some categories that we can improve on.”

OASIS Co-President Carli Romero said the low sustainability grade was disappointing.

“I don’t think NMSU has taken enough steps to enhance the curriculum or eliminate non-recyclable materials,” Romero said. “We need to make some changes.”

To help raise awareness, OASIS is hosting the Sustainability Film Series supported by a grant from the City of Las Cruces. The seven films, which Uchanski said are mostly documentaries, focus on food, social equity, economics and waste management and other related topics. Following the films, Uchanski said experts invited by OASIS will lead a discussion on the message of the film.

“This is a new venue to learn from and discuss,” Uchanski said.

OASIS will also be focusing on agriculture and the environment during the Earth Day celebration to be held at Young Park in Las Cruces, tentatively set for April 17. Uchanski said this will be the third year for the event.

“The event will tell people how to be green with mostly an environmental focus,” Uchanski said.

Romero said the group is hoping environmental and waste awareness will lead the community in sustainable practices.

“The administration needs to step it up,” Romero said. “They are educating the future professionals of New Mexico.”

Romero said many OASIS participants are involved with other events such as the Community of Hope Food Shed World Café event, which will be held on Halloween, which will concentrate on agricultural sustainability in the Mesilla Valley. Romero said some OASIS members also support the Organ Mountain Desert Peak Wilderness Act to preserve areas of the Organ Mountains.

“The idea of sustainability is a huge movement nationally,” Romero said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

For more information about OASIS, e-mail oasis@nmsu.edu.

Jenna Candelaria is a staff writer and can be reached at trunews@nmsu.edu.

Sustainability goals still on track

The New Mexico State University Sustainability Council will continue to work to accomplish the 12 goals for the 2009 Year of Sustainability set by former Interim President Waded Cruzado.

The Goals

The council met Thursday morning to discuss “green” projects on campus and improving the campus grade on the College Sustainability Report Card, which resulted in a “C-” for NMSU. Steve Loring, chair of the sustainability council, said the council is serious about the goals, and is on task to complete them by the end of the year.

“[Our goal was to] check off all 12 by the end of the calendar year,” Loring said. “Just because the calendar year stops doesn’t mean the sustainability council stops.”

Presidential Duties

Loring said Cruzado did a good job setting the sustainability goals and set the tone for the next NMSU president. When a new president is elected, he or she will need to show support for the theme of sustainability at NMSU and the goals associated with it, Loring said.

“[A new president should] make a visible, public commitment by saying ‘I think this is important,” Loring said. “Even after the calendar year, [the new president would] need to show that [the theme of sustainability] is not just a flash in the pan. One person in that position can make a difference.”

Improving the Grade

Loring said NMSU received a “D” on the green report card last year, and although the grade this year was an improvement, NMSU still has work to do. Loring said the grade was a surprise, because the sustainability council, as well as the administration and other members of the campus community, are making efforts to improve NMSU economically.

“We have to know for ourselves that we’re taking the right steps,” Loring said. “[We should] take something that was a discouragement and look at it as an opportunity.”

Loring also said he was surprised that some of the category grades on the green report card were lower than a “C.”

“I knew endowment was going to be an issue, but it always is,” Loring said. “We put our best effort into it.”

Loring said the council is looking into using another ranking system to grade the sustainability efforts of NMSU using more clear-cut guidelines.

The “Kermit Project”

Mark Uchanski, assistant professor of plant and environmental sciences at NMSU, spoke at the council meeting and said members of the department are working on the hoop house project, which constructs low-cost, heated green houses for small farms. Uchanski said one goal for the project is to verify whether or not farmers can produce high-quality vegetable crops in the middle of winter using the hoop houses.

Uchanski described the project as the “Kermit Project,” because the structures are green on the outside, complying with the theme of “going green” and the Year of Sustainability.

Students and Sustainability

Loring said a list of courses related to sustainability have been added to the course catalog. Loring said students who are interested in sustainability issues in subjects ranging from agriculture to business now have the option to learn more about them.

Loring said a survey was sent out to the leaders of the various colleges at NMSU to find out which types of courses would be valuable to offer as part of the inventory for the sustainability courses. Loring said the course list is now complete enough to be viewed by the campus community, but will likely continue to change and expand.

The course list can be accessed at www.sustainability.nmsu.edu under the Learning and Curriculum tab.

Kristina Medley is the news editor and can be reached at trunews@nmsu.edu

Iconic comedian Bill Cosby will headline NMSU’s homecoming events this year, highlighting half of the 2009 theme, “Celebrating the Past, Unmasking the Future.”

Cosby, 72, will perform at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Pan American Center. The show comes 40 years after his first performance — March 26, 1969 — at the Pan Am.

Tickets to the Cosby show are $17 to $37, available through Ticketmaster outlets, including the Pan Am Box Office, and online at ticketmaster.com.

Rising country star Randy Houser will complete the other half of this year’s homecoming theme, with a free performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 22 during the annual bonfire celebration.

Read the article. Includes a list of events throughout the week.