Committee could have done better

Something spooky is happening at New Mexico State University.

 

The NMSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee announced its top-five presidential contenders Tuesday, calling the five finalists the most qualified among the 60 individuals who were reviewed by the contracted search firm, Greenwood/Asher and Associates Inc.

 

It sounds like great news, but two of the five finalists have recently resigned from their former chancellor positions after allegations of granting political favors surfaced. 

“Narrowing the pool has been challenging for the search committee because there were so many excellent candidates,” said Del Archuleta, search advisory committee chair, in a University Communications press release.

 

With so many qualified candidates, why recommend to the NMSU Board of Regents two highly controversial figures with tainted backgrounds? It’s not as if the alleged scandals are buried deep in the candidates’ professional history. In fact, Herman’s resignation came the day before he was announced as a finalist for the top job at NMSU.

 

Reports of the two finalists, Richard Herman and James Oblinger, have received national attention. The New York Times reported on Oct. 21 that Herman resigned from his post at the University of Illinois. The Times reported that university officials hoped Herman’s resignation would bring an end to the scandal. 

 

The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that Oblinger resigned from North Carolina State University in June, after facing allegations of hiring and providing large pay raises to a former North Carolina governor’s wife.

 

The Journal reported that Archuleta was “fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the resignations of Herman and Oblinger,” and, according to the University Communications press release, Archuleta said he challenged the search committee to find candidates who are the best fit for NMSU.

 

Surely out of the 60 candidates the search firm reviewed, two others would be better “fit” for NMSU than Herman and Oblinger. Although Oblinger has declined any impropriety in allegations brought against him, it seems, the search committee would not recommend such a candidate, especially in light of the ethical questions raised during the last presidential search.