LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico State University Board of Regents named a new interim president of the NMSU system at their meeting Thursday.
Mónica Torres, chancellor of NMSU system community colleges, will serve as interim president of the NMSU system while a new search is conducted for the next permanent leader. Torres will succeed current Interim President Jay Gogue, who has a planned departure in June. Gogue has served in that role since April 2023.
“Dr. Torres is an accomplished and visionary leader with a deep commitment to student success and a wealth of institutional knowledge of the NMSU system,” said Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali in a message to the NMSU community following the meeting. “We’re already working to ensure a smooth leadership transition for our community colleges, and will provide more details about that soon.”
Torres previously served as Doña Ana Community College’s 10th president, first serving as interim leader beginning in September 2018 and later being appointed to the position on a permanent basis in May 2019. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from NMSU, as well as a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico in American studies with an emphasis in cultural studies.
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“I appreciate the opportunity,” Torres stated in a news release. “As you know, I have a long history with the New Mexico State University system. I am committed to the land-grant mission and to our status as an HSI and an MSI. I love that what we do as a system extends throughout the state of New Mexico, serving New Mexicans in rural and urban areas.
Torres will assume her new role on May 1. The board also announced the members of a new search committee for the presidential search, which will be chaired by Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali.
The search committee members are:
Citlalli Benitez, Associated Students NMSU President
Vimal Chaitanya, Faculty Senate Chair-elect
Donna Johnson, Employee Council Chair
Marlene Chavez-Toivanen, Vice President for Academic Affairs at NMSU Grants
Enrico Pontelli, College of Arts & Sciences Dean
Jon Boren, Cooperative Extension Service Director and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Associate Dean
Suzanne Quillen, Vice President of HealthCare Innovation at Ernest Health
Margaret Hardin, who among other professional activities is a member of the NMSU Foundation Board of Directors
Rex Wilson, Southern Region Director Presbyterian Medical Services
Terra Winter, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico
Scott Hutchinson, Senior Manager, Electrical Sciences, Sandia Campus Executive for New Mexico State University
NMSU will again partner with search firm WittKieffer to help find candidates.
