Alan’s Monday Message for August 28th
Good Monday morning Aggies! This past week was the first full week of the academic year. It has been great to see everyone back on campus. I began my week by attending the Pride of New Mexico marching band concert at the Corbett Center outdoor amphitheater on Sunday evening (see below). To start the work week, I participated in the President’s Executive and Cabinet meetings. After lunch, I had a 1:1 before attending the tenure and promotion workshop for committee members at the Teaching Academy.
On Tuesday, I had a number of 1:1 meetings. After lunch, I met with the Deans and then I met briefly with the search committee for Graduate Dean/Associate Provost for International Affairs prior to going to Breland Hall to meet with the Department of Government. After the meeting, I stopped off briefly to attend the College of Arts and Sciences Welcome Back event in the Breland courtyard. There were hundreds of students, faculty, and staff there who enjoyed a cup of Caliche’s ice cream as an afternoon treat. To end the day, I attended the New Faculty dinner at the Fulton Center. We had a terrific turnout. It was so nice to meet our new faculty and their spouses/significant others. Our goal is to make them feel welcomed and supported. It is a new day at NMSU and I expect 100% will be successful in gaining tenure/promotion.
Throughout Wednesday, I had a number of 1:1 direct report meetings. I also had a meeting with the Academic Associate Deans to discuss a variety of issues from course scheduling to obstacles inhibiting student success. During a break, I walked through Gardiner Hall and the Chemistry and Biochemistry building. I saw new faculty members Ludi Maio in Physics and Jennifer Thinnes in Geological Sciences. When I got back to the office, I asked my assistant, Cindy Garrett to reach out to all the new faculty members and to set up 1:1 meetings with me in their offices, so I can see where they are and how they are doing as they start their academic careers at NMSU.
On Thursday, I had more 1:1 direct report meetings. I attended the Board of Regents Financial Strategies, Performance, and Budget committee. Dr. Renay Scott shared information on the laptop initiative for new undergraduate students. Following this, Chancellor Monica Torres shared DACC’s ipad XCITE initiative. In the afternoon, I attended a Deans meeting with NMSU Global. Afterwards, I met with the HEST search consultant from Isaacson, Miller for their Associate Dean for Research to share my thoughts. Following this, I went to give welcoming remarks to the New Mexico Black Nurses Association meeting prior to going online to speak to the consultant for the University Art Museum strategic planning process.
To start Friday morning, President Gogue and I participated in the New Faculty Orientation at the Teaching Academy. The orientation encompassed presentations by Dean Enrico Pontelli on the annual review and tenure/promotion process. This was followed by a presentation by VP Linda Scholz on NMSU as a Land-Grant Hispanic/Minority Serving Institution. Tara Gray presented on the Teaching Academy followed by a resource fair and then a presentation by VPRCED Luis Cifuentes, Alisha Giron, and Hamid Mansouri Rad on support for Research, Creativity, and Economic Development. After returning from the orientation, I had a few 1:1 meetings before the end of the day.
To end the work week, I attended the first football game against the University of Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon/evening. It was a festive environment. I attended the Alumni tailgate before the game started and enjoyed walking around, meeting the Aggie faithful. There was a lot of excitement and several people mentioned to me that this was one of the bigger turnouts for an opening game. During the game, I walked around the stadium and went on the field to see Wave retrieve the kicking tee. I stopped by to see the marching band before heading up to Club 27 to mingle with NMSU guests. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost to the Minutemen, 30 – 41.
Demographic Cliff is coming to New Mexico
The projected demographic cliff is coming to New Mexico. It starts in 2026/27 and takes a 25% dip by 2036/37. As a result, NMSU must change the way we do business in the near future if we want to avert the adverse effects of this phenomenon and provide a long-term positive outlook. Without structural and cultural adaptations, NMSU is likely to experience a difficult path to traverse. I am convening a group of key operations leaders from across campus to identify changes we need to proactively make to avert any adverse impacts. These changes are likely to include everything from course scheduling to internal/external policies to recruiting and admitting students. This challenge heightens the importance of retaining our students, because as the old adage goes, “it is easier to retain students than to recruit new students.”
COVID is still around
While the start of school has been a success, we must not forget or become complacent that COVID is still around. There was a hot spot on campus that saw an outbreak of cases. Please remember to wash your hands appropriately and if you feel under the weather, stay home until you recover. In late September or October, the flu shot and updated COVID vaccine are slated to become available. I encourage everyone to protect themselves and others by getting both the flu shot and updated COVID vaccine and if you are over 60, the RSV vaccine.
Announcement – Town Hall Meeting – In Person – Save the Date!
Please plan to attend the Town Hall meeting in person with President Gogue on Wednesday, September 20th from 9am to 10am in the Corbett Center Student Union Auditorium. Here is an op-ed President Gogue wrote this past weekend. He shares his perspective about how NMSU’s future is bright. Prepare any questions you would like to ask the President or myself. We look forward to sharing our thoughts with the NMSU campus community. Go Aggies!
Provost Performance Indicators Dashboard
Thanks to Institutional Analysis, I am rolling out the Provost Performance Indicators Dashboard. This is a public dashboard of the indicators I am holding myself accountable to the campus community. You will see there are metrics on enrollment, retention and graduation rates, and R1 metrics. The data shown is the baseline data. Each year, this dashboard will be updated when the appropriate data becomes available.
NMSU ranked in top tier for economic mobility
New Mexico State University ranks in the top tier for economic mobility for its students. Over 1,300 institutions were ranked and NMSU is ranked 79th overall. The economic mobility index places value on how well institutions serve their low-income students in addition to the proportion of low- and moderate-income students a school enrolls. This is one indicator illustrating how NMSU makes a difference!
Announcement – New Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs
College of Business Dean Bryan Ashenbaum announced this past Friday, the appointment of Dr. Carlo Mora-Monge as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs within the College of Business. Carlo brings a wealth of research, program, and administrative experience to the role. Please join me in congratulating Carlo on his new appointment.
NMSU’s Unsung Heroes
This week, I received one recipient for being a NMSU Unsung Hero.
Christina Gomez (Administrative Assistant, Exec, Office of Institutional Equity) – As Ken Glascock noted, Christina has dedicated 23+ years to NMSU, landing at OIE in 2007. Since then, Christina proactively accepted any and all tasks including designing databases, organizing files, developing OIE’s website and overall office management. She is the first person to greet any visitors to OIE, always with a smile and infectious energy. Her selflessness and caring go beyond measure. Christina’s dedication to her duties and overall mission of the office is noticed and much appreciated. Thank you, Christina, for displaying a positive attitude and welcoming demeanor to anyone who visits OIE.
Kudos
Congratulations go out to three history professors for their publication of their respective books: Elizabeth Horodowich – “Amerasia;” Jamie Bronstein – “The Happiness of the British Working Class;” and Kenneth Hammond – “China’s Revolution and the Quest for a Socialist Future.”
