LAS CRUCES – The New Mexico State University Board of Regents on Monday blocked outgoing Chancellor Garrey Carruthers from hiring or firing top-level administrators and coaches until a new chancellor is on board.
The Board of Regents voted 4-0 to require that all top-level personnel changes from now until a new chancellor is hired must be cleared by the board itself.
Board Chairwoman Debra Hicks said the move is meant to allow whoever is hired as the institution’s next chancellor the room to make those personnel decisions.
“This is a policy that is just for a limited period of time — to allow the new chancellor to come in and make appointments or institute searches for the replacements of those positions that become unfilled during this time,” she said. “The intent would be those positions are filled with an interim until the new chancellor is placed.”
Regent Kari Mitchell said the the short-term measure is the regents applying “proper checks and balances” but is not meant to imply there’s any wrongdoing.
“I think it’s very, very important we express sincerely this is not being done because we feel like there is any inappropriate action that has been taken or would be taken by the senior management team,” she said.
Carruthers said there was only one search process underway recently for a top-level administrator, and it has wrapped up.
The board’s initial proposal didn’t have the caveat that personnel changes for the top-level positions could be made with the board’s approval but rather blocked all personnel changes until the next chancellor was hired. Carruthers expressed concern about that proposal because he said the wording could block a possible termination.
“I am aware of at least one case where a senior management official may have committed fraud,” he said. “If you pass it, you have a four-and-a-half month period where we’d have to wait for termination.”
Mitchell said the measure wasn’t meant to block personnel actions altogether. Rather, she said the board will be the final authority.
“The objective would be to have you recommend those personnel transactions, and the regents could review and approve them,” she said.
The regents, who met on the NMSU main campus, also heard an update about the chancellor search process.
The search committee met for the first time Jan. 30-31 and had an orientation that included a visit by Robert Witt, former chancellor of the University of Alabama.
Mitchell said Witt is “actively involved in recruiting candidates and has become a strategic adviser in this process.”
NMSU has contracted with Wheless Partners, a search firm, that’s seeking applicants. Applicants also can apply directly with the university. Regents said Monday the candidates’ names will be kept secret until the top five finalists are reached, because of a state law that allows their names to be confidential.
“We’ve been told there’s some very strong interest from some very significant players,” Mitchell said.