By Staff Writer Madison Lawson
ENMU has been helping students discover their careers and advanced study for 88 years now, and over time the university has changed presidents. That time has come again.
On Aug. 24, ninety-seven people submitted their names for the position. These people were from over thirty states, but mostly from New Mexico and surrounding areas. These candidates have since been reviewed and are narrowed down to forty because of the EFL, a search firm that is helping ENMU find the candidates that have the best qualities for president.
A group of faculty members and other ENMU university members makes up the 18-member presidential search committee that will be able to narrow down the candidates to the last 5 finalists by Oct. 23.
Late Oct. through Nov., the 5 finalists will be on campus for interviews. These interviews are important so the candidates can understand the ENMU community and learn to understand how the university operates.
The committee has been looking diligently for a dynamic leader who can connect with the Eastern community. This person will have to learn how to effectively communicate with everyone on a political level, as well as on a local level. Knowing the community is important for building a connection. This person will have to be willing to become fully invested in the position of helping run an entire university, online and in-person. They will have a lot to manage but will have time to develop a sense of the grey-hound spirit.
Current President Dr. Patrice Caldwell mentioned that one of her priorities is making sure this person will be accepting of New Mexico culture and understand New Mexicans.
“We are New Mexicans, we are South Westerners, we are rural, we have a strong work ethic, and we have a commitment to education!” Caldwell said.
The university has a very apparent culture that is special to New Mexico. This culture and sense of close-knit community is the foundation of an amazing university. Where this person is coming from is going to affect their perspective of ENMU. This perspective needs to be optimistic and willing to adjust to the area and adjust to the nature of the community.
The search for a new president is nothing close to easy. The committee has multiple representatives and other members that all speak for different departments and perspectives of ENMU. The different perspectives will help create a mold that the new president will ideally fit in to. This “mold” is to ensure a great and efficient leader is put in such an important position.
One such perspective is from Phillip Bustos, committee chair. “We need to advocate ENMU more and tell the Eastern story.”
Bustos mentioned that he doesn’t see the university being advertised in many places. Being that ENMU is the least funded university in New Mexico, one of the major priorities for the upcoming president will be to help generate fundraising for the university.
Other challenges for the upcoming president will be adapting to change and experiencing how higher education is viewed from a political perspective and how higher education is viewed from a students’ perspective. The quality of education is another aspect that will be a major responsibility. Understanding how N.M. is organized economically is a high priority as well.
This person will need to understand that ENMU needs to find new ways to promote the campus and help people learn about exactly what the institution is about. More people in N.M. need to know about the campus and the small town of Portales.
Transition for any new president is a chance for a type of new beginnings and making important acquaintances that can later benefit the university in different ways. Becoming president means this person will have to be involved in the politics of N.M. The subject of politics can be touchy and become very personal, but the president will need to be able to communicate with political figures of N.M. Understanding that higher education is not as important to political figures as other issues with the state. This is a first step to learning how to persuade them to view higher education in a better, more important perspective.
This new president is going to have an immense amount of pressure as soon as they settle into the position. They will need to know what is important to students and faculty but also need to know how to effectively communicate. This allows the institution to examine itself and understand what was happening in the past may need to change for a better future.
Change is constant but to be able to create good change is a decision that lies in the hands of whoever will fill this important position.