“The Regents … must select someone who reflects and will defend NMSU’s tradition and missions. Unless the Regents want to change that mission in the future, the next president needs to know his or her way around the Ag Barns.”
It became official when the Regents announced this week that Dean of the NMSU College of Business Garrey Carruthers is the next NMSU President. I applaud the decision for three reasons: first, he will hit the ground running and not take a year to get up to speed. Secondly, he understands NMSU’s mission and traditions. Finally, he is well liked and respected on the campus and around the state.
Other than one president in the 1950s who was only in Las Cruces a couple of years I have known all the NMSU presidents back to Hugh Milton who was selected before World War II. Most have been extraordinary.
Several, however, were not good and the chaos they caused was regrettable. Having the wrong person in charge as was shown with the last president caused lots of turmoil and intrigue. The last president did not like the smell of the Ag Barns. It is regrettable she was selected in the first place.
Carruthers does know his way around the Ag Barns and especially understands the Land-Grant mission. In the coming years those parts of the university that make NMSU unique will receive the priority they deserve. Further, Higher Education is changing and it takes a visionary to navigate the changes, holding on to what is important and taking advantage of the new opportunities.
In many ways this transition feels like the Corbett to Thomas change in 1970 when Dr. Roger Corbett had stayed at the NMSU helm a couple of years too long so the campus was in an uproar. I was a student senator at that time and worked in the campus media.
President Corbett was, in retrospect, an incredible leader who I have come to respect much more as I have seen his vision make NMSU much better. Again, to me it seems he stayed a few years too long and so got caught up in a controversy of his management techniques which felt at the time to be dictatorial.
The selection process in 1970 was full of plots and subplots with different political factions favoring one presidential candidate over others. I was impressed by a little known dean of Agriculture at Texas Tech. Gerald Thomas seemed exactly the kind of person I would like as president.
Many of us were surprised and pleased the NMSU Regents selected Thomas. He had fourteen good solid years as the NMSU leader. The Ag Building on the NMSU campus is named in honor of Dr. Thomas. I have spent many hours talking to President Emeritus Thomas over the years and have enjoyed his books.
What made Gerald Thomas good was he never lost sight of what the future of NMSU needed to be. He managed at times by walking around talking to people. He did not have a royal affliction and was thick-skinned about criticism. There were some turbulent times that he handled with clarity and reason.
Over the last twenty years NMSU has had some good leadership, especially Mike Martin, but Martin’s flaw was he was thin-skinned about criticism. This was true of others. The NMSU President is a lightning rod for criticism. If people are not squawking, the president probably is not functioning correctly.
Now the healing process begins. Old grudges need to end so that high functioning leaders can come together to make NMSU as good as it can be. This will not be easy since some of the vitriol against Carruthers was sharp this last week. But NMSU President Carruthers has a thick skin.
I applaud the decision made by the NMSU Regents.
It became official when the Regents announced this week that Dean of the NMSU College of Business Garrey Carruthers is the next NMSU President. I applaud the decision for three reasons: first, he will hit the ground running and not take a year to get up to speed. Secondly, he understands NMSU’s mission and traditions. Finally, he is well liked and respected on the campus and around the state.
Other than one president in the 1950s who was only in Las Cruces a couple of years I have known all the NMSU presidents back to Hugh Milton who was selected before World War II. Most have been extraordinary.
Several, however, were not good and the chaos they caused was regrettable. Having the wrong person in charge as was shown with the last president caused lots of turmoil and intrigue. The last president did not like the smell of the Ag Barns. It is regrettable she was selected in the first place.
Carruthers does know his way around the Ag Barns and especially understands the Land-Grant mission. In the coming years those parts of the university that make NMSU unique will receive the priority they deserve. Further, Higher Education is changing and it takes a visionary to navigate the changes, holding on to what is important and taking advantage of the new opportunities.
In many ways this transition feels like the Corbett to Thomas change in 1970 when Dr. Roger Corbett had stayed at the NMSU helm a couple of years too long so the campus was in an uproar. I was a student senator at that time and worked in the campus media.
President Corbett was, in retrospect, an incredible leader who I have come to respect much more as I have seen his vision make NMSU much better. Again, to me it seems he stayed a few years too long and so got caught up in a controversy of his management techniques which felt at the time to be dictatorial.
The selection process in 1970 was full of plots and subplots with different political factions favoring one presidential candidate over others. I was impressed by a little known dean of Agriculture at Texas Tech. Gerald Thomas seemed exactly the kind of person I would like as president.
Many of us were surprised and pleased the NMSU Regents selected Thomas. He had fourteen good solid years as the NMSU leader. The Ag Building on the NMSU campus is named in honor of Dr. Thomas. I have spent many hours talking to President Emeritus Thomas over the years and have enjoyed his books.
What made Gerald Thomas good was he never lost sight of what the future of NMSU needed to be. He managed at times by walking around talking to people. He did not have a royal affliction and was thick-skinned about criticism. There were some turbulent times that he handled with clarity and reason.
Over the last twenty years NMSU has had some good leadership, especially Mike Martin, but Martin’s flaw was he was thin-skinned about criticism. This was true of others. The NMSU President is a lightning rod for criticism. If people are not squawking, the president probably is not functioning correctly.
Now the healing process begins. Old grudges need to end so that high functioning leaders can come together to make NMSU as good as it can be. This will not be easy since some of the vitriol against Carruthers was sharp this last week. But NMSU President Carruthers has a thick skin.
I applaud the decision made by the NMSU Regents.
Dr. Michael Swickard hosts the syndicated radio talk show News New Mexico on six to nine a.m. Monday - Friday on a number of New Mexico radio stations and through streaming. Email: michael@swickard.com
