NMHU Presidential Updates

(Last Update: Dec. 7, 2023)

Latest News

Dec. 8, 2023 Update

Dear Campus Community:

As previously announced, Dr. Neil Woolf will be visiting our campus on Friday, December 8, for a series of forums with staff, faculty, students, and community members. Dr. Woolf’s biography and C.V. are available on the Presidential Search website at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Dr. Neil Woolf Curriculum Vitae

Zoom link: All public forums will be held in Student Union Building 321-322 and also at this Zoom link:

Zoom link with embedded passcode: https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225?pwd=ZExJWWtyVUJkRWtHQlBLdzIrZE40dz09

Feedback form: Click on this link to access the feedback form:

https://www.rhperry.com/machform/view.php?id=277351

All feedback will be shared directly with the regents. All feedback forms must be completed by Monday, December 11, at 5:00 PM. All feedback forms are submitted anonymously through the R.H. Perry system.

Schedule

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni Forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with the Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair of the NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 7, 2023 Update

Dear Campus Community:

As previously announced, Dr. Adolfo Santos will be visiting our campus on Thursday, December 7, for a series of forums with staff, faculty, students, and community members. Dr. Santos’ biography and C.V. are available on the Presidential Search website at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Dr. Adolfo Santos Curriculum Vitae

Zoom link: All public forums will be held in Student Union Building 321-322 and also at this Zoom link:

Zoom link with embedded passcode: https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225?pwd=ZExJWWtyVUJkRWtHQlBLdzIrZE40dz09

Feedback form: Click on this link to access the feedback form:

https://www.rhperry.com/machform/view.php?id=277351

All feedback will be shared directly with the regents. All feedback forms must be completed by Monday, December 11, at 5:00 PM. All feedback forms are submitted anonymously through the R.H. Perry system.

Schedule

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni Forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with the Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair of the NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 6, 2023 Update

Dear Campus Community:

As previously announced, Dr. Roxanne Gonzales-Walker will be visiting our campus on Wednesday, December 6, for a series of forums with staff, faculty, students, and community members. Dr. Gonzales-Walker’s biography and C.V. are available on the Presidential Search website at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Dr. Roxanne Gonzales-Walker Curriculum Vitae

Zoom link: All public forums will be held in Student Union Building 321-322 and also at this Zoom link:

Zoom link with embedded passcode: https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225?pwd=ZExJWWtyVUJkRWtHQlBLdzIrZE40dz09

Feedback form: Click on this link to access the feedback form:

https://www.rhperry.com/machform/view.php?id=277351

All feedback will be shared directly with the regents. All feedback forms must be completed by Monday, December 11, at 5:00 PM. All feedback forms are submitted anonymously through the R.H. Perry system.

Schedule

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni Forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with the Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair of the NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 5, 2023 Update

Dear Campus Community:

As previously announced, Mr. Gerardo Ochoa will be visiting our campus on Tuesday, December 5, for a series of forums with staff, faculty, students, and community members. Mr. Ochoa biography and C.V. are available on the Presidential Search website at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Mr. Gerardo Ochoa Curriculum Vitae

Zoom link: All public forums will be held in Student Union Building 321-322 and also at this Zoom link:

Zoom link with embedded passcode: https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225?pwd=ZExJWWtyVUJkRWtHQlBLdzIrZE40dz09

Feedback form: Click on this link to access the feedback form:

https://www.rhperry.com/machform/view.php?id=277351

All feedback will be shared directly with the regents. All feedback forms must be completed by Monday, December 11, at 5:00 PM. All feedback forms are submitted anonymously through the R.H. Perry system.

Schedule

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni Forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with the Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair of the NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 4, 2023 Update

Dear Campus Community:

As previously announced, Dr. Michelle Rogers will be visiting our campus on Monday, December 4, for a series of forums with staff, faculty, students, and community members. Dr. Rogers’ biography and C.V. are available on the Presidential Search website at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Dr. Michelle Rogers Curriculum Vitae

Zoom link: All public forums will be held in Student Union Building 321-322 and also at this Zoom link:

Zoom link:

https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225?pwd=ZExJWWtyVUJkRWtHQlBLdzIrZE40dz09

Feedback form: Click on this link to access the feedback form:

https://www.rhperry.com/machform/view.php?id=277351

All feedback will be shared directly with the regents. All feedback forms must be completed by Monday, December 11, at 5:00 PM. All feedback forms are submitted anonymously through the R.H. Perry system.

Schedule

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni Forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with the Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair of the NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dec. 1, 2023 Email to Campus

Presidential Finalists Announced

NMHU Students, Staff, and Faculty,

The New Mexico Highlands University Presidential Search Committee is pleased to announce the visits of the five finalists for the week of December 4 through December 9. Each candidate will spend a full day in Las Vegas holding forums for the campus and community, and then they will travel to Santa Fe the next morning for an interview with the Board of Regents. We encourage everyone to participate. The candidates will be visiting in this order:

  • Dr. Michelle Rogers: Open forums on Monday, December 4, in-person (Student Union Building 321-322) and on Zoom
  • Mr. Gerardo Ochoa: Open forums on Tuesday, December 5, in-person (Student Union Building 321-322) and on Zoom
  • Dr. Roxanne Gonzales-Walker: Open forums on Wednesday, December 6, in-person (Student Union Building 321-322) and on Zoom
  • Dr. Adolfo Santos: Open forums on Thursday, December 7, in-person (Student Union Building 321-322) and on Zoom
  • Dr. Neil Woolf: Open forums on Friday, December 8, in-person (Student Union Building 321-322) and on Zoom

If you click on the candidate’s name, it will take you to a page with a short bio, picture, C.V, and campus visit schedule.

The schedule for each visit will be the same and will include meetings with the search committee, the forums, lunch with senior leadership, dinner with the search committee, and then a meeting the next morning with the Board of Regents in Santa Fe.

The Las Vegas Campus forum schedule for each candidate will be:

  • Search Committee Interview 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
  • Staff Forum 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • Faculty Forum, 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Lunch with Senior Administration 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
  • Student Forum 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Community, Foundation, and Alumni forum 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
  • Campus Tour and President’s Residence Tour 4:30 – 5:45 p.m.
  • Dinner with Search Committee 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Each forum will be held in the Student Union building in rooms 321-322 on the third floor and via Zoom. Zoom links will be posted on this website and e-mailed on the day of the event. For each forum, we have asked the candidate to introduce him or herself, then give a brief presentation on what they see as the “opportunities at NMHU” tailored to the specific audience of the forum. The rest of the hour will be reserved for answering questions from the audience.

Any member of the NMHU community is welcome to attend any forum, but please be respectful of the topic of the forum (staff, faculty, students, community) when you ask questions.

All members of the campus and community will be welcome to provide feedback on each candidate through an electronic form provided by R.H. Perry, which will be distributed on the day of the forums, as well as with paper copies showing how to access the link at the forums themselves. This feedback will be provided directly to the regents, so it is important everyone uses this opportunity to share their opinions directly with our board.

The Board of Regents is planning on meeting on Friday, December 15, to potentially select the next president. Negotiations and a public announcement would take place some time after that and would be contingent on those negotiations.

I know the search committee is looking forward to having the finalists on campus and having them meet our NMHU staff, students, faculty, and community, and I know the Board of Regents are also looking forward to receiving feedback on what you think of the candidates.

Best regards,

Brandon Kempner
Chair, Presidential Search Committee

News Archive

Nov. 22, 2023 Email to Campus

Greetings, NMHU Community,

New Mexico Highlands University is pleased to announce it has selected five finalists for the position of President. Each finalist will visit campus during the early part of December, 2023, where they will take part in public forums for students, staff, faculty, and members of the community.

The finalists, in alphabetical order by last name, are:

  • Roxanne Gonzales-Walker, Provost/VPAA, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM
  • Gerardo Ochoa, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success, Linfield University, Linfield, OR
  • Michelle Rogers, Former Vice President for Administration, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
  • Adolfo Santos, Assistant Provost, Texas A&M University, McAllen, TX
  • Neil Woolf, Executive Vice President, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR

Per New Mexico State Statute Chapter 21 – State and Private Education Institutions Article 1 – General Provisions Relating to State Educational Institutions Section 21-1-16.1, the NMHU Board of Regents will meet to select the next president in not less than 21 but no more than 30 days after this announcement has been published is both a statewide and countywide newspaper. More information about the campus visits, including a full schedule, will be available on the NMHU website soon.

Oct. 30, 2023 Email to Campus Community.

Campus Community:

I would like to update the campus community about our ongoing presidential search. We are still in the confidential portion of the presidential search, so I cannot share any specific details about the candidates or the candidate pool, but our search committee has been working hard on the process to select the five finalists for campus visits.

The search officially closes today, Monday, October 30th. Our committee will now carefully screen the applicants against the position posting to select ten semi-finalists for interviews in Albuquerque. We have received a significant number of applicants for the position, so we have our work cut out for us. After the semi-finalist interviews, we will select five campus finalists. We are still planning to have these finalists on campus during the week of November 27th and December 4th. We will have a number of forums for each candidate during those visits, so you will have a chance to hear directly from them and ask them questions. RH Perry will submit feedback forms so you can communicate with the regents about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. After the finalist visits, the regents will meet to select our next president.

I look forward to involving the whole campus in this exciting process soon. I would like to thank the search committee for all their extra hours of work—they have been a great team to work with.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair, NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Sept. 18, 2023 Email to Campus Community.

Dear Campus Community:

We are pleased to announce that the job posting for the President of New Mexico Highlands University is now live at the RH Perry website, and we are currently accepting applications through Friday October 30th. Please share the link and encourage qualified applicants to apply: https://rhperry.com/nmhu_president/#1634320092963-dca37535-683a. RH Perry will also be widely advertising the position so that we can attract a robust applicant pool.

I would like to thank the members of our presidential search committee, the RH Perry team, and our Board of Regents for all their hard work in drafting, commenting on, and approving this profile. I’d also like to thank the campus community for their spirited input during our forums: many great ideas were brought up that helped us shape this profile. There is a Spanish version of the profile in order to recognize the importance of the culture that is part of, and surrounds, NMHU.

We look forward to our next steps in the process, which will be ranking the applications and then selecting 10 semi-finalists for interviews in Albuquerque during the middle part of November. From those 10 semifinalists, 5 finalists will be invited to NMHU for full campus visits, and we are still on track to have those visits during the last week of November and the first week of December. During that visit, there will be numerous forums so the campus community can meet the candidates, ask questions, and then provide feedback through surveys.

Once again, the position can be found on the RH Perry website at https://rhperry.com/nmhu_president/#1634320092963-dca37535-683a, and we will also post this link on our Presidential Search website, at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

Best,

Brandon Kempner
Chair, NMHU Presidential Search Committee
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
New Mexico Highlands University
bkempner@nmhu.edu
505-454-3273

Aug. 14 Global Email to Campus

Dear Campus Community:

I am pleased to announce that our presidential search firm, RH Perry, will be visiting Las Vegas on Monday, August 21st, to speak with our campus community regarding what our students, faculty, staff, and community members are looking for in a new president. They will use this feedback, along with guidance from the Regents and input from the search committee, to build the final position profile. The scheduled forums will be:

Monday, August 21st

1:00-2:00 PM: Student Forum #1, 321-322 Student Union Building

2:00-3:00 PM: Staff Forum, 321-322 Student Union Building

3:00-4:00 PM: Faculty Forum, 321-322 Student Union Building

5:00-6:00 PM: Student Forum #2, 321-322 Student Union Building

6:00-7:00 PM: Community Forum, 321-322 Student Union Building

All forums will also be available via Zoom at https://nmhu.zoom.us/j/91589999225. We will also be distributing info on how to share your opinions if you are unable to attend a forum. The more input we can get from everyone at this stage of the process, the better.

We are being invited to consider the following questions at these forums,

What are some points of pride or positive attributes of New Mexico Highlands University that would encourage candidates to apply for the Presidency?
What are opportunities and challenges the next NMHU President will face?
What are the desired qualifications and skills sought for in the next NMHU President?
What are some milestones and achievements you would like the new NMHU President to successfully accomplish in the next 3-5 years?
While not every idea will make its way into the profile, RH Perry and our committee is looking to discover themes that run throughout the feedback. All ideas will help us recruit and evaluate applications.

Our presidential search website with more information can be found at https://www.nmhu.edu/presidential-search/.

I look forward to engaging the entire campus community in this important process,

Brandon Kempner
Chair, NMHU Presidential Search Committee