NNMC president search

Nov. 14—Northern New Mexico College is expected to announce its new president shortly after Thanksgiving following a search committee's interviews and community forums with four finalists for the job.

Among the contenders are outgoing New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas; state Higher Education Deputy Secretary Patricia Trujillo, an Española Valley native who was a tenured professor at Northern and served as founding director of the college's Office of Equity and Diversity; and two experienced out-of-state educators: Bruno Hicks, vice president of academic affairs at Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga., and Yueh-Ting Lee, a professor in the applied psychology program at Southern Illinois University.

Northern initially set a July 1 deadline to find a successor for former President Rick Bailey, who left in mid-January. Since then, the college has been led by Interim President Bárbara Medina.

Michael Martin, president of Northern's board of regents, said earlier this year the selection process was upended when several college employees leading the search left for new jobs. The college then hired AGB Presidential Search to relaunch the effort.

A 26-member committee of students, faculty, staff and community members are guiding the new search, with the final candidate forum held Thursday.

"We have four strong finalists," Martin said. "We've had very good feedback and good attendance in our community meetings."

None of the candidates could be reached for comment on the search.

One initial finalist, David Johns, dropped out of the race at the last minute without providing a reason, Martin said, and was replaced by Lee.

Balderas, an attorney who has served two terms as attorney general, was raised in Wagon Mound and attended New Mexico Highlands University and the University of New Mexico School of Law. He served as an assistant district attorney in Bernalillo County and a state representative, and also served two terms as state auditor.

Trujillo attended New Mexico State University and earned a master's in English from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. in U.S. Latina/Latino Literature from the University of Texas San Antonio.

Lee received a bachelor's in English and American literature from Central South University in China and a Ph.D. in psychology from Stony Brook University in New York. He also did post-graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania.

Before taking up his current position at Southern Illinois University, Lee served as Ethnic Studies Department chair at Minnesota State University Mankato; dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toledo in Ohio; and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Minot State University in North Dakota.

Hicks earned bachelor's degrees in environmental studies and biology from the University of Maine at Fort Kent; a master's in environmental education from Lesley College Graduate School, Mass.; and a Ph.D. in science and STEM education, from the University of Maine.

Before taking his current position, Hicks served as dean of the School of Education at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts and was a professor at the University of Maine Fort Kent for 18 years and a middle school teacher.

Martin said the board of regents will meet Nov. 17 to make a final decision and will then begin negotiations with the candidate.

"We'll make our decision, and then we can negotiate with the person and if they accept our offer, then we'll reconvene probably the week after Thanksgiving and announce who the new president will be," Martin said.

The new president will be tasked with overseeing the spending of a voter-approved mill levy that provides Northern with $2.4 million annually. The funds are meant to be used to establish degree programs in key trades, including plumbing, pipe fitting and electrical, at the college's El Rito and Española campuses.

Martin said the college is looking for "someone that could take us forward to work with the Legislature, work with all our different communities and improve learning."