Alan’s Monday Message for July 3rd
It’s a beautiful day, Aggies! I hope you enjoyed a relaxing weekend. You would be amazed to learn what is commemorated each day. For example, today, July 3rd is dedicated to some of the following: Air conditioning appreciation day; National eat your beans day; National fried clams day; and Stay out of the Sun day to name a few. The first and last are highly appropriate for Las Cruces.
On Monday, I had a number of 1:1 meetings. I went to O’Donnell Hall to visit the NMSU Autism Diagnostic Center. Afterwards, Interim Department Head Heike Lehnert-LeHouillier and I walked to the Communications Building and toured the Edgar Garett Speech and Hearing Center before meeting in her office to share the state of the department. I plan to visit with the department faculty and staff in the fall. In the afternoon, I had more 1:1 meetings and met with the policy steering committee. In the future, I am delegating my role on the policy steering committee to Senior Associate Provost, James McAteer. James is more familiar with the ARP and understands the nuances and historical context behind the ARP and is better suited to adding value to the committee. The policy steering committee has been charged by Chancellor Gogue to review the Regents Policy Manual (RPM) and the Administrative Rules and Procedures (ARP) and determine if there are conflicts by October 1st.
To start Tuesday, I had breakfast with Clayton Abbey and State Representative and Chair of the House Appropriations and Finance committee and Vice Chair of the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), Nathan Small at Milagro’s. I also met the Speaker of the House, Javier Martinez. We exchanged thoughts for moving New Mexico forward. Afterwards, I drove to campus and did some administrative work before going to Preciado Park to attend HEST’s 2ndAnniversary of their formation. Of course, I ate a Kona ice and had to put on a HEST t-shirt, so I wouldn’t get my white dress shirt stained from the Kona ice syrup. I returned to the office to attend the bi-weekly Deans only meeting and had some 1:1 meetings. Around 4pm, I drove to the Farm and Ranch Museum to attend the LFC meeting. Clayton Abbey introduced me to a number of the legislators and I shared some of NMSU’s academic priorities. At dinner, I sat with State Representative Brian Baca and his family from Valencia as well as Representative Jack Chatfield from Colfax, Curry, Harding, Quay, San Miguel & Union counties. We had a fantastic dinner conversation. Representative Baca and his wife are Lobo alums and they brought their son to attend last week’s Aggie Welcome Orientation. They shared a story with me that reinforced one of my core beliefs (i.e., it isn’t the flashy things we do that make a difference, but the simple little things that are often taken for granted that make a real impression). Their son is going to be in the William Conroy Honors College. They were on the fence when selecting which institution their oldest son would attend. As they shared with me, the tipping point that made them select NMSU was Dean Phame Camarena. They were so impressed when Dean Camarena gave their son a personal call and provided a personal touch. It warmed my heart to hear this story. Thank you Phame for doing the little things to make a lasting impression on this student and his family. You are a great role model for us all!
On Wednesday morning, I attended the LFC meeting to support Chancellor Gogue as he introduced a research panel to discuss on-going research activities at various New Mexico universities. What I admire about Chancellor Gogue is his ability to tell a story without using notes in a very conversational style that illustrates the point he is trying to get across to his audience. Unfortunately, I am not as gifted a public speaker, but I am trying to get better with practice and by watching effective public speakers. Afterwards, I drove back to campus to participate in the Strategic Executive Budget Team (SEBT) meeting. We reviewed two budget requests requiring resolution. Afterwards, I met online to be debriefed on the Heliocampus Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey (AQSS) results from 2023. Leslie Cervantes, Ermelinda Quintela, Lauren Goldstein, and I were briefed that this same survey was completed in 2021 and used as a baseline. We will be sharing the results of the 2023 survey with campus and shared governance leaders in the future. In the afternoon, I had a number of 1:1 meetings before calling it a day.
To start Thursday, I participated in an online Conference USA meeting for Provosts. I enjoyed connecting with Provosts from other institutions. Conference USA is supporting a Professor of the Year award. Institutions will be able to identify one person to forward for consideration as the Conference Professor of the Year. I will be working with the Deans to create a nomination and selection process in the fall semester. Afterwards, I did some administrative work before accompanying Chancellor Jay Gogue and AVP for Governmental Relations Clayton Abbey to have lunch with the LFC Interim Director Charles Sallee and LFC Analyst Connor Jorgensen at Nopalito’s on Missouri Avenue. I returned to campus to attend a special Board of Regents meeting. The Board passed a revised five year facilities plan. This was the only agenda item. I had some 1:1 meetings before attending Ken Van Winkle’s retirement party in the Hadley Hall lobby. Retired Deputy Provost Greg Fant emceed the festivities. It was nice to see people turnout to congratulate Ken. Mark Cal and others from Alamogordo attended and I am sure this meant a lot to Ken. I wish Ken all the best in his retirement and want to thank him for his 38 years of dedicated service to New Mexico State University. To end the work week, Friday was devoted to administrative duties.
NMSU’s Unsung Heroes
This week, I received three more recipients for being NMSU Unsung Heroes.
Maggie Karveller (Kinesiology Department Administrative Assistant) – As HEST Associate Dean Phil Post shared, Maggie has been a pillar of support for the Department of Kinesiology for the last decade. Whether it be a student, faculty, or staff, Maggie is always there to support with compassion and love. She goes above and beyond as the Kinesiology administrative assistant and consistently assists outside departments and faculty when needed. She has helped onboard numerous department heads that have linked their success to Maggie’s behind the scenes work. In addition to supporting the Kinesiology department head, she directs student workers, helps with advising, mentors students, and works with student organizations on their budgets. It is easy to see why Maggie is the center of the Kinesiology department. Her office is one of the busiest places on campus, as it is a revolving door for those she strives to serve.
Alma Meza (TPAL Administrative Assistant, Sr.) – HEST Associate Dean Phil Post wrote the following: Alma is one of the most dependable and kindest colleagues on campus who takes tremendous initiative in coordinating numerous responsibilities in helping oversee TPAL’s complex organizational structure, which includes separate budgets for multiple units and regular scheduling and expense reimbursement for 40 full-time faculty, 40 part-time instructors, and 20 graduate assistants each semester. Alma directly supports TPAL, one of the largest academic departments on campus, and houses several sponsored projects. She also mentors and trains student workers to greet office visitors, field questions about faculty and programs, and contributes to our robust university system. TPAL benefits greatly from Alma’s invaluable skills and unprecedented knowledge, but most of all, she leads by example in treating all stakeholders with dignity and respect.
Michelle Lopez (Senior Administrative Assistant, Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office) – As Associate Deans Michele Shuster and Joe Lakey noted, Michelle is our primary handler of student paperwork with the Student Records Office (late registration changes, changes of grades, etc.). Around deadlines (e.g., last days to add/drop) we get inundated with requests and Michelle handles the communication with students in a completely professional manner. She takes the time to explain and makes sure that we respond to every single request. Michelle really serves our students exceptionally well. In addition to her work to support students, Michelle also made the annual inventory survey incredibly smooth this year. She accomplished a near-miraculous feat by retrieving equipment from UT Austin, which allowed for an update of a department’s inventory and the support of a new faculty member, as the returned equipment will be used in their lab. Thank you, Michelle, for serving our students with compassion and kindness!
Kudos
The New Mexico Department of Higher Education awarded NMSU $5.4M for the following research projects:
- $2.7 million to establish a biomedical research facility at NMSU as a Hispanic-Serving Institution on the US-Mexico border via the National Institutes of Health.
- $1.9 million to establish an Analytical Instrumentation Suite for Research in energy, agriculture, water and materials science; and
- $651,315 for a chemistry and biochemistry molecular structure determination core via the National Institutes of Health.
