NMSU suspends search for new president (8 a.m.)

Sounds like some people don't want to work before the winter break. The university needs an entirely new board of regents and especially need to get rid of Gallagher. He's been on the board throughout all the crisis' at NMSU almost all have been swept under the rug or ignored. The state or board of higher ed needs to come to NMSU and "clean house".

Bob Gallagher's plan to have a secret search (instead of an open search) with only one candidate, Dr. Cruzado (instead of five candidates) will mean that NMSU is no longer a "national-level" (aka "real") university...regardless of Dr. Cruzado's qualifications.

If we are going to have an appointed president and a pretend university, then the power to apoint a president should go to the governor; at least the governor is, in principal, answerable to the voters and the Legislature.

Also, since NMSU is now a stepping stone job to bigger jobs, NMSU presidents should be appointed for a five-year term with a contractual obligation to stay here or else pay back their salaries (if we're really as bad as Gallagher says we are, that can't possibly hurt our search). Otherwise the future Jay Gogues and Mike Martins will continue to use us.

A better start would be for the governor to replace Bob Gallagher when his term expires and appoint someone who is actually loyal to NMSU's students, faculty and staff. Bob Gallagher's tensure has been one disaster after another.

No bad Garrey Carruthers doesn't want the job (though I don't blame him). How about Reed Dasenbrock if we must appoint a president? I have nothing against Cruzado, but I don't think she's really for "prime time."

Please, please, please contact Gov. Richardson and let him know that we demand he get rid of Bob Gallagher and maybe even the other Regents who allow him to do what he does!
Now is the time since he is up for re-appointment. I went to the state website and sent an email, and perhaps I'll call as well.

The rumor on campus is that NMSU has too many problems that even Cruzado doesn't want to deal with. NMSU is going down the toledo.

Thanks Sun-News for deleting my comments about your lack of coverage of this topic from the Hal Mumme story and for going to look at Albuquerque Journal front page to find out what should have been your lead story.

Thanks for burying the lead too.

Bob Gallagher's term ends January 1st, along with Steve Anaya, and the student regent Ed Kellum. Rumor is Steve Anaya is not continuing his position because his son is in the running for the student regent position. Lots of backscratching going on ...

The NMSU Board of Regents cancelled the president’s search because the names of the candidates would be come public? What a bunch of baloney. Did they candidates expect to arrive on campus in secret, dressed in camo with bags on their heads and have their voices electronically altered? Did they assume only a “sworn to secrecy” search committee would address them each by a fictitious name and that no member of the media would be allowed to interview them? Come on folks, this is unabashed nonsense and the NMSU Board of Regents needs to have a long talk with the Ethics folks.

NMSU is notorious for hiring family members and bringing in family and friends through the back door.

NMSU is known for "It's not what you know, but who you know"...

Dave wrote:

Thanks Sun-News for deleting my comments about your lack of coverage of this topic from the Hal Mumme story and for going to look at Albuquerque Journal front page to find out what should have been your lead story.
Thanks for burying the lead too.

Man have you got your priorities mixed up. Haven't you heard? The Aggies' chances for a bowl appearance may hang in the balance so, of course, we're more interested in Hal Mumme than in how, if anyone, will become the next NMSU president.

Swamp Land wrote:

The NMSU Board of Regents cancelled the president’s search because the names of the candidates would be come public? What a bunch of baloney. Did they candidates expect to arrive on campus in secret, dressed in camo with bags on their heads and have their voices electronically altered? Did they assume only a “sworn to secrecy” search committee would address them each by a fictitious name and that no member of the media would be allowed to interview them? Come on folks, this is unabashed nonsense and the NMSU Board of Regents needs to have a long talk with the Ethics folks.

Bob Gallagher talk with "the Ethics folks?" You've got to be kidding. Bob Gallagher wants Waded, not become she's so inherently corrupt but because Gallagher knows Waded'll go along with him. Until we get rid of Bob Gallagher, there's no need to worry about cleaning up our "ethics" issues.

Carmen wrote:

NMSU is known for "It's not what you know, but who you know"...

Maybe we should hire defeated Texas House candidate Dee Margo of El Paso as president. He sounds like the kind of guy Bob Gallagher would love.

Dr. Cruzado seems like an intelligent lady, but right now, I think she's too fresh to get dirty with all the crap at NMSU that she will go along with Gallagher.

END RUN indeed. Gallagher announced at a recent Regent's meeting that they (the Regent's) could appoint Cruzado for the position. Now the Regent's have found a short cut: cancel the mandated search; forfeit the $90,000 paid to the search firm; blame the lawmakers for adopting a nationally accepted disclosure requirement; bully their way into extending their own appointments; and select a president the would not have met the minimum qualifications. Most state university systems have adopted the disclosure requirement for the final 3-5 presidential candidates. The applicants all know the rules in advance. It comes as no surprise.

What ticks me off is that I bet a $1 that the NMSU Regents would run an honest search. I really trusted them. Guess I lost my buck, the university bet and lost $90,000, the campus lost an opportunity to attract an experienced first rate president and the state university system will be stuck with a group of inept regents.

This is pure baloney and probably unprecedented in the history of university presidential searches. The search committee that hired Mike Martin operated under the same rules and had no trouble finding five finalists. The search committee that hired the current UNM president operated also under the same rules and had no trouble finding finalists and hiring a president. This is very fishy and surely not the whole story.

Dave wrote:

Thanks Sun-News for deleting my comments about your lack of coverage of this topic from the Hal Mumme story and for going to look at Albuquerque Journal front page to find out what should have been your lead story.
Thanks for burying the lead too.

Whatever Dave, we care a lot more about when our football coach is going to get fired than the typical garbage coming out of the Presidents office.

Che wrote:

This is pure baloney and probably unprecedented in the history of university presidential searches. The search committee that hired Mike Martin operated under the same rules and had no trouble finding five finalists. The search committee that hired the current UNM president operated also under the same rules and had no trouble finding finalists and hiring a president. This is very fishy and surely not the whole story.

The first house that needs to be put in order is to get rid of Bob Gallagher. Bob knows that Waded is green enough to do whatever Gallagher says for the benefit of the "good, old boys" that run NMSU...rather than to be the innovative leader NMSU needs. If Gallagher is not re-appointed and we get three new regents in January, Cruzado might actually be worth looking at...though I do think she's still too inexperienced to be president right now.

Individuals didn't want their names known? Come on...this is bogus. Everyone applying for the presidency at a university KNOWS their name will be shared with the public if they become a finalist. It sounds to me like the typical New Mexico State way of filling a position, internally. It is a great way to maintain the status quo, especially if you are a low achieving institution.

This stinks wrote:

Individuals didn't want their names known? Come on...this is bogus. Everyone applying for the presidency at a university KNOWS their name will be shared with the public if they become a finalist. It sounds to me like the typical New Mexico State way of filling a position, internally. It is a great way to maintain the status quo, especially if you are a low achieving institution.

As long as Bob Gallagher is the president of the NMSU board of regents there is no end in sight to the shameful activity that passes for the norm at NMSU.