VICE PRESIDENT, NMSU GLOBAL

New Mexico State University (NMSU), a leading R1 Land Grant Institution, invites applications from experienced educators to serve as the next Vice President for NMSU Global, our digital learning and online education delivery system.

The position will report directly to the President, while establishing strong direct and indirect communications with the vice presidents for Academic Affairs and Finance. The leader occupying this position will serve as a key member of the academic leadership team, further integrating NMSU Global into academic affairs as a strong partner with deans, department heads, faculty and administration to achieve the university’s goals. NMSU Global is poised for significant growth and innovation, positioning the university as a leader in accessible, high-quality digital education in the Southwest and beyond. As part of a mandate by the state legislature, the Vice President for NMSU Global will also lead, direct, and enhance the partnerships with other state universities via “The Hub.” The ideal candidate will bring a record of innovation in online education, and the ability to scale high-quality programs in a complex, multi-campus, shared-governance environment.

Partnering closely with Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, and the University’s business units, NMSU Global’s new Vice President will develop and drive our online and hybrid educational model and strategies—from recruitment, via retention initiatives, to graduation—to ensure that the university continues to meet and exceed the needs of both traditional and lifelong learners across our entire system. In doing so, the role will build on our existing strengths and growth to expand NMSU Global’s influence and impact, as well as continue to lead in applying best pedagogical practices to online environments. As the scope of the outreach grows, the expectation for the position is that it will expand the nascent partnerships with private and public entities to support the upskilling and reskilling of their workforce. The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial digital expert who can help navigate the dramatic changes to the online and technological environment of higher education, while being mindful to integrate the advances with the professional and educational needs of faculty and students alike, according to a model based in shared governance.

Founded in 1888 as the first public institution of higher learning in the state, NMSU is the Land Grant university of New Mexico. Its overall mission is to educate the people of New Mexico traditional and adult learners); to produce research and innovations that advance the wellbeing of the state; and to provide public service across the state via its educational and innovation achievements. Currently, NMSU is the highest-ranked national university in the state (US News & World Report 2025) and has achieved Research 1 status, as well as being ranked the most affordable national university in the region. In addition, it is designated as a HSIU, MSI, Carnegie Community Engaged University, as well as a gold-standard military friendly university. Across main campus and Global, academic programs are delivered by five colleges in addition to the Honors College and the Graduate School, with a total enrollment of over 16,000 students. Or statewide impact consists of four campuses, 12 research stations, 33 extension offices in every county, including rural and tribal populations and beyond, bringing the system’s overall student population for Fall 2025 to over 23,500.

The initial phases of the search will be launched in early summer, with candidates on campus early in the fall semester, with a starting date of January 1st (Spring Semester), 2027.

REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must possess the following minimum qualifications:

• Master’s degree —Earned master’s degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field (education, instructional design, business, public administration, or an academic discipline offered by the university).
• Progressive leadership experience — Minimum of 7 years of progressive administrative leadership in a post-secondary institution that includes experience in an online, digital, or continuing education environment.
• Online program management expertise — Demonstrated success developing, scaling, and sustaining high‑quality online academic programs.
• Shared governance experience — Proven ability to work effectively with faculty, deans, department heads, and academic committees.
• Budget and operational management — Experience overseeing multi‑million‑dollar budgets, enrollment pipelines, and operational systems.
• External relations capability — Experience representing an institution to external stakeholders such as legislators, state agencies, business leaders, or community partners.
• Data‑informed decision making — Demonstrated ability to use analytics to drive enrollment, retention, and program quality.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Earned doctorate degree.
• Experience Statewide or system‑level collaboration — Experience leading inter‑institutional initiatives, consortia, or shared services.
• Strategic enrollment management — Experience driving online enrollment growth while maintaining academic quality.
• Industry partnership development — Ability to build workforce‑aligned programs and corporate education partnerships.
• Change leadership in digital transformation — Track record of leading organizational change, technology adoption, and innovation at scale.
• Land-Grant Experience — Experience working within, and understanding of, a Land-Grant Institution.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Strategic Leadership, Vision, & Execution — Ability to articulate a compelling vision for the online/global campus and translate it into measurable growth, academic quality, and operational excellence.
• Program Development and Oversight — Leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of NMSU Global education programs, ensuring they meet high academic standards and respond to emerging workforce trends.
• Partnership and Employer Engagement — Cultivates and sustains relationships with employers, community organizations, and government agencies to expand high‑quality experiential learning opportunities and strengthen economic development for the U.S.-Mexico border region.
• Faculty and Academic Collaboration — Works closely with deans, department heads, and faculty to integrate online programs seamlessly across the University.
• Student Access and Support — Ensures that NMSU Global programs are inclusive, accessible, and supportive of undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds, with particular attention to reducing barriers for historically underserved populations.
• Assessment and Quality Assurance — Establishes metrics, evaluation processes, and reporting structures to assess program effectiveness, student learning outcomes, and employer satisfaction.
• Operational and Administrative Leadership — Oversees budgets, staffing, policies, and operational processes that support the effective delivery of NMSU Global services and programs. Ability to manage complex budgets, enrollment pipelines, marketing strategies, and technology ecosystems to support sustainable growth.
• External Representation — Serves as a visible ambassador for NMSU in forums related to online education.
• Change Management & Organizational Development—Ability to lead through ambiguity, builds alignment across diverse stakeholders, and drives continuous improvement in a shared‑governance environment.
• Student Success—commitment to ensuring NMSU Global is focused on student success as its core mission.

NMSU LEADERSHIP

Valerio Ferme became New Mexico State University’s 32nd president in January 2025, following a unanimous selection by the NMSU Board of Regents. A scholar, teacher, and administrator who built his career across the nation’s leading public research universities, President Ferme brings to NMSU a conviction that the work of a land-grant institution is fundamentally an act of service—to students, to communities, and to the state it was created to serve.

A native of Milan, Italy, Ferme came to the United States at 19 to study at Brown University, earning degrees in biology and religious studies while competing on a nationally ranked crew program. He went on to earn master’s degrees from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from UC Berkeley on Fulbright and Chancellor’s fellowships. A prolific scholar—author of three monographs, three edited volumes, two book-length translations, and more than 80 articles and reviews—he spent 19 years at the University of Colorado Boulder, rising from faculty member to department chair to divisional dean. He subsequently served as dean at Northern Arizona University, then dean and provost at the University of Cincinnati, where he more than doubled annual sponsored research while expanding access and inclusive excellence initiatives at every level. At each institution, his leadership has centered on a consistent conviction: that access, belonging, and achievement are not competing priorities but a single, inseparable commitment.

VISION FOR NMSU

President Ferme arrived at NMSU with a clear-eyed view of both its opportunity and its moment. “As president of a land-grant university, our mission is pretty clear,” he has said. “We need to advance the educational capacity of the state.” For Ferme, that is not an abstraction—it is an action agenda with three animating priorities.

Graduating more students. Retention and graduation rates are Ferme’s most immediate focus—outcomes that have held relatively flat at NMSU for a decade and that he has named as his first area of intervention. He sees improved retention not only as a student success imperative but as essential to enrollment stability in a higher education landscape facing demographic headwinds and intensifying competition.

Building on distinctive research strengths. NMSU’s 2025 R1 designation—which Ferme has called “the direct result of years of intentional, strategic work”—creates new opportunity to invest in areas where New Mexico has genuine competitive advantage: water innovation, aerospace and defense, emerging technologies, and agricultural science. Ferme sees these not as siloed research pursuits but as engines of student opportunity and state economic development simultaneously.

Being a university that belongs to New Mexico. Ferme has spoken of his evolution from admiring private institutions to becoming a committed believer in public education—and in the land-grant compact specifically. He envisions NMSU as legibly and palpably connected to the state it serves: graduating more of its students, producing research that addresses New Mexico’s real challenges, and functioning as a genuine civic and economic engine. He is building the university’s strategic direction through broad stakeholder engagement, preferring a living framework flexible enough to respond to a rapidly changing landscape over a fixed plan.

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

President Ferme’s approach is grounded in empathy, collaborative problem-solving, and a growth mindset—values shaped by his upbringing as one of nine children in Milan, his years as a competitive rower and coach, and his experience as the adoptive father of two sons and primary caregiver, with his husband Giorgio Corda, of four grandchildren. Those personal experiences have deepened his understanding of how teams navigate complexity and change—and they inform his institutional practice directly.

ABOUT LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO

NMSU’s main campus is in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a city known for its exceptional quality of life. Las Cruces offers an ideal environment for work and recreation, with more than 300 days of sunshine per year, a vibrant local culture, a low cost of living, and a relaxed pace of life. As part of the dynamic Borderlands region, the city is enriched by its proximity to El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, creating a unique cultural landscape shaped by diverse traditions, cuisine, and cross-border collaboration.

Las Cruces is also a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, surrounded by vast public lands that provide access to millions of acres of desert and mountain landscapes. Residents can enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and birdwatching, all within easy reach of national forest systems such as the Gila, Lincoln, and Apache Kid Wilderness, as well as the Aldo Leopold Wilderness, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and White Sands National Monument.

APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS

New Mexico State University invites letters of nomination and applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, and contact information of at least five references) to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications are submitted before September 1, 2026. Please submit electronic applications directly to Parker Executive Search. For additional information, please contact:

Porsha Williams, Vice President
Jacob Anderson, Senior Principal
Julia Butler-Mayes, Ph.D., Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 | Atlanta, GA 30328
(678) 775-4564
pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com || jbutler-mayes@parkersearch.com

Electronic submission of materials required.