NMSU President John Floros steps down, Chancellor Dan Arvizu to be sole leader
LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State University President John Floros is stepping down and Chancellor Dan Arvizu will become the leader of the main campus and the NMSU system.
A letter from the president to the university community Friday afternoon stated that Arvizu has decided to reduce what has been the seats of chancellor and president atop the university flowchart down to one seat.
"During the next few weeks, I will be helping the chancellor with this transition, before moving on to take a yearlong sabbatical," Floros stated.
Arvizu clarified in a letter to all NMSU students and employees that Floros will "continue to serve NMSU in an advisory capacity, as special assistant to the chancellor, through the next 30 days."
"Now, it’s time for our university to return to a more common leadership structure," Arvizu stated. "The position Dr. Floros held will not be replaced. Instead, I will assume both roles of Chancellor for the NMSU System as well as President of the Las Cruces Campus. The Regents are aware and support this move."
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Floros and Arvizu were hired in May 2018 to replace Chancellor Garrey Carruthers, a former New Mexico governor who was being paid $373,450. Arvizu and Floros started with base salaries of $500,000 and $450,000, respectively, plus bonuses and other benefits.
Their salaries, and the salaries of others in upper administration at NMSU, have been called into question as part of resolutions of no confidence passed by the NMSU Faculty Senate and the Associated Students of NMSU Senate in the 2021 fall semester.
Following the no-confidence resolutions and ensuing student protests, NMSU Provost Carol Parker — then the No. 3 position at the university — was put on paid administrative leave on Nov. 9.
The resolutions of no confidence called for the removal of Floros and Parker due to a failure in leadership.
University spokesman Justin Bannister said that Floros' stepping down was unrelated to the resolutions.
It is unclear whether Floros will return to NMSU after his yearlong sabbatical.
Both Floros and Arvizu highlighted some of their joint accomplishments over the past three-and-a-half years as co-heads of the university, including the establishment of the NMSU LEADS 2025 strategic goals, stabilizing the university's enrollment numbers after years of enrollment drops and pushing through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Over the years, I have come to deeply appreciate how dedicated the faculty and staff of NMSU are in their drive to help students achieve their educational dreams and aspirations," Floros stated in the closing of his letter. "It has been an honor to work with and serve you as your president since 2018. I wish you all the best as you begin a new chapter at NMSU."
Arvizu said he would provide further details to the NMSU community in a Zoom call at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10.
Read the memo from NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu:
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Miranda Cyr, a Report for America corps member, can be reached at mcyr@lcsun-news.com or @mirandabcyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU President John Floros steps down, Chancellor Dan Arvizu to be sole leader
