Floros Chosen as Part of Leadership Team for New Mexico State University

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A two-person leadership team will replace Garrey Carruthers when he retires as New Mexico State University chancellor and president.

The NMSU regents on Friday announced the surprise dual selections of Dan Arvizu as chancellor and John Floros as president.Arvizu is a former senior U.S. Department of Energy official while Floros is dean of the Kansas State University agriculture college and K-State Cooperative Extension.Flores will focus on operations of the university’s main campus in Las Cruces. Arvizu will oversee the entire NMSU system and be tasked with addressing the big-picture vision and strategy of the overall system, regents said.

They were among the top five candidates in a national search for the next chancellor.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that regents Chair Debra Hicks said she discussed the possibility of splitting the job titles with both men after the regents agreed Monday to take that approach.

Regent Vice Chairwoman Kari Mitchell said it has been apparent for some time that NMSU eventually would have to take the new leadership path to address challenges facing the university such as declining public funding.

“We were compelled to start thinking about how the university would overcome those challenges, given the fact the university has struggled in some of those fronts over the last decade,” she said.