Alan's Monday Message for October 23
Good morning Aggies. I started last week with the weekly executive meeting with the President followed by the bi-weekly cabinet meeting. Afterwards, I had a number of 1:1 meetings and then I attended a special Board of Regents meeting online. The Board of Regents approved three academic programs: M.A. in Organizational Communication and Leadership (online); M.S. in Geographic Information Science and Technology; and a Ph.D. in Food Science. I finished the day with a small group meeting with Lt. Colonels Dana Bochte and Adam Buchanan along with CAS Dean Enrico Pontelli to discuss ROTC recruiting at the New Mexico Military Institute.
This was a short week for me as I had to take care of personal affairs out of state, so I was out of the office for the rest of the week. I attended a number of zoom meetings on Thursday. In particular, I attended the University System Business committee and the Arrowhead Center Board of Directors meeting followed by the University Program Approval committee.
Over the past few months, a number of NMSU leaders have written op-eds in either the Las Cruces Sun News or Las Cruces Bulletin. This is a great way to get our message out to the broader community. While this isn’t considered scholarship by traditional standards, I believe it informs and has a greater impact on our local communities than the typical peer review journal articles, books, and other forms of scholarship, because most community citizens do not read academic scholarship. Last weekend, Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Economic Development Luis Cifuentes opined about the importance of research to NMSU’s future. In the October 13th edition of the Las Cruces Bulletin, Jay Misra, Associate Dean of Research for the College of Engineering wrote about how NMSU is fueling cybersecurity and grid innovations in the October 13th edition of the Las Cruces Bulletin. In the past few months, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Dean Rolando Flores articulated why the Farm Bill is critical to NMSU’s mission as a land-grant institution. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Enrico Pontelli wrote about the importance of cultural responsiveness as a means towards improving student retention. And Arrowhead Director Kathy Hansen shared why infrastructure investments are critical to job growth in New Mexico, in particular in the Santa Teresa area. Astronomy faculty member Wladimir Lyra wrote about last Saturday's annular solar eclipse. And most recently, Chancellor Monica Torres wrote about DACC: 50 years of investing in the community.
I have encouraged all the Deans and others to write op-eds about the work of their college or division. I believe it is important to engage in community scholarship and for NMSU to be proactive in sharing information about what is happening at NMSU rather than being reactive. I am fortunate as Provost, because I see and hear about all the good things happening at NMSU. It is one of the best aspects of being Provost. I enjoy learning about things I never learned about as a Dean, Department Chair, or faculty member. For example, I have learned a lot about agriculture, consumer, and environmental sciences, cooperative extension services and agricultural experimental stations. In addition, I have learned about astronomy and telescopes by visiting Apache Point and Sunspot telescopes. Learning new things is the key to better understanding and appreciating the diversity and value of the work being done at NMSU.
Bullying/Intimidation/Retaliatory actions will not be tolerated at NMSU
If you experience or witness these types of behaviors, please make a report to your supervisor or Employee Labor Relations (ELR). Once a complaint is lodged, ELR will work with the supervisor to address the behavior or, if warranted, conduct a formal investigation. At the completion of any formal investigation, a report with findings and recommendations will be sent to the appropriate supervising authority. I want the NMSU community to rest assured, my office will work with the applicable supervising authority to ensure appropriate action is taken in each case.
The NMSU community must understand that bullying, intimidation, and retaliatory behaviors cannot be tolerated (see https://arp.nmsu.edu/3-80/). If NMSU is going to change its culture and improve its climate, we must stand up against these types of behavior.
Primary Campus Priority Registration Form
Associate Vice President for Student Success Tony Marin shared the following recently and I thought it was worth sharing in the Monday message. In order to improve the overall efficiency in responding to NMSU-Las Cruces student request(s) to take courses at NMSU System campuses, students will be asked to complete a form(https://forms.office.com/r/wNg8CCKB6K) that contains a request for information related to an exception to the Primary Campus Priority Registration practice. The information within the form is the same that is requested presently via e-mail which is utilized as part of the Primary Campus Priority Registration process. A great deal of time is expended exchanging emails with students requesting the required information that often is frustrating for the student. The goal of the form is to provide a more efficient process that will in turn, alleviate any frustration or stress on the part of the student. The Primary Campus Priority Registration form requires all fields to be completed by the student. Once a student completes the form, I will be sent an email with the required information. If a student has multiple course requests, they will have to complete a form for each course requested.
Please note that the Primary Campus Priority Registration form's field and process were reviewed by the University’s IT Chief Privacy Officer, Data Custodian, and Vice President for Student Success. The form was also beta-tested with students to ensure that they understood what was being asked of them AND their recommendations were incorporated. Finally, the priority is to respond to student requests within the same or next business day.
Demand Cliff
Most who have read my previous Monday messages have heard me refer to the demographic cliff. This is primarily due to the declining birth rates after the 2008 recession. The demand cliff refers to the number of 18 to 24 year old students who are choosing not to pursue higher education. As the authors note, it is due to a number of factors, but the most cited is the perceived lack of value in higher education. While the demographic cliff is out of our control, the demand cliff is something we can change by demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) of one’s degree. Whether we like it or not, consumers of higher education are increasingly choosing to pursue higher education based on the value and potential career options.
Annular Solar Eclipse at Sunspot
As Department of Astronomy Department Head Jason Jackiewicz shared from last Saturday’s festivities at Sunspot Telescope. I want to give a special shout out to those who were in Sunspot, where I saw firsthand all the hard work pay off during that beautiful morning. Over 600 visitors attended, and the mood was fantastic. I'd like to recognize the following people (and I'm sure I'm forgetting many, but please know that you are appreciated): Heidi, Liz, Tia, Sean, Tracey F., John D., Riley, Colin, Shane, Minje, Khagendra, Ezra, Harrison, Asif, Alexander, Julio, and among others.
Of course, the day of the event was the "easy" and fun part. It was all the work leading up to Saturday that should be acknowledged. Also, as I understand it, the events held on campus (Zach and others) and in Artesia (Juie and others) were very well attended and successful. We'll be hearing more about the Artesia observations very soon. Great work. Here are some pictures from inside and outside of Sunspot.
Lines of Responsibility
There have been enough cases recently whereby I feel I need to clarify the lines of responsibility go through your direct supervisor, then to their supervisor, and onward. For the community colleges (Alamogordo, DACC, and Grants), it continues to the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and then to Chancellor Monica Torres prior to going to President Jay Gogue. For some academic issues, it may come to me. If an issue arises, people should bring it to the attention of their immediate supervisor. Do not jump the lines of responsibility, unless the issue directly involves your immediate supervisor and then, you may go to the next level. It is important to maintain appropriate processes to address any issues of concern.
Quote of the Week
"Don't let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace." - Dalai Lama
