Governor seeks resignation of New Mexico university board after spending revelations
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called for the immediate resignation of Western New Mexico State University regents following revelations of wasteful spending and failures in financial oversight, according to documents released Thursday.
In a year-end letter to the five-member Board of Regents, Lujan Grisham said new leadership in the spirit of a clean slate is needed to ensure the Silver City-based university can regain its balance and serve its students again. first and foremost.” The chairman of the board resigned on Tuesday.
The purge follows the announced resignation of Joseph Shepard as university president an investigation The state auditor’s office found that top university officials and regents had failed to meet their fiduciary responsibilities.
State legislators started to raise questions in 2023 about Shepard’s spending on international travel and luxury furnishings, along with wife Valerie Plame’s use of a college credit card. Plame is a former CIA operations officer ran without success for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District during the 2020 Democratic primary.
The regents supported a settlement for Shepard’s resignation as president, which guarantees him a new faculty job and a one-time payment of $1.9 million.
The package is under investigation by the State Ethics Commission, and Attorney General Raúl Torrez has announced an investigation into whether the Board of Regents met its fiduciary duty. Shepard and board members have defended their behavior.
Professor and Faculty Senate President Phillip Schoenberg expressed gratitude for the governor’s decision to replace the Board of Regents, citing the need for “responsive and decisive leadership.” He describes outrage among faculty over a severance deal for Shepard, including a contract to teach at the university. the university’s business school.
Although the name has changed several times over the years, the history of Western New Mexico dates back to the 1890s, before statehood.
Shepard was named president in 2011 after a 16-year career at Florida Gulf State University, during which he served in various administrative roles.