The four new members of the Western New Mexico University board of regents met for the first time on April 9, 2025. (Screenshot of meeting)
Starting next month, regents on New Mexico university boards will have to complete 10 hours of training to prepare them for their roles in guiding academic institutions.
Senate Bill 19, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), directs the New Mexico Department of Higher Education to develop those training hours to include topics such as state law, financial management, institutional governance and student success. The HED is tasked with providing the training and ensuring regents comply.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB19 on April 8 and the bill goes into effect on June 20. The bill states that current regents must complete the training by Dec. 31 this year.
Higher Education Department Spokesperson Auriella Ortiz told Source NM in a written statement that members of the department have started considering requirements and platforms for the training, which she said is projected to be completed by the end of the year.
“Since the agency has provided a similar type of training for regents in the past, this process is not new to us,” Ortiz wrote.
Steven Neville, a former state senator who represented San Juan County, recently took over as chair of the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents. The entire board consists of four new members after previous members resigned or concluded their tenure in late 2024 and early 2025, following the board’s controversial decision to award outgoing university President Joseph Shepard a $1.9 million severance package. Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a civil suit against Shepard and the board in an effort to recover the state funds. A hearing is scheduled in June to consider Shepard’s motion to dismiss the case against him.
Neville told Source NM that he has a lot of knowledge about state law and financial management from his time as a lawmaker and member of the Legislative Finance Committee, which he will use in his new role, but university management is still different.
“There’re certain things about the way universities run that are totally different than my county commission experience or my city council experience or even my state senate experience,” Neville said. “I’ve been on several boards and commissions through the years, but nothing is exactly the same.”
He added that all four members of the board need some aspect of the future training, despite everyone’s background. He said the HED provided all new regents with a short orientation over a couple of hours when they were first appointed, but hopes that future training also involves more explanation of higher education policies and funding “intricacies that are a little different from one agency to the next.”
Ortiz reiterated to Source that the HED already provides training to newly appointed and reappointed regents covering topics such as governance, ethics, fiscal management and state and federal laws.
“Adding a requirement of 10 hours will enhance a governing boards’ understanding of their appointed or elected positions in addition to the tools they need to better champion students, faculty and staff on their campuses,” Ortiz wrote. “It is important to note that Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez and our colleagues at the department are always available to assist governing board members at any time beyond the training sessions.”
During the session earlier this year, Steinborn told Senate Education Committee members that he introduced the bill to ensure regents are prepared for their work in hiring university presidents, setting tuition and other actions that fundamentally impact students and faculty. SB19 was one of several bills and resolutions introduced this session that would have addressed the process for how regents are chosen and the preparation they receive for fulfilling their roles.
Steinborn also introduced Senate Joint Resolution 7, which would have required the governor to choose regent nominees from a pool of candidates approved by a nominating committee. House Joint Resolution 12, introduced by Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), would have codified regents’ fiduciary duties; moved regent removal proceedings to the district courts; and allowed the attorney general or a majority of the board to initiate the removal of a regent. Both resolutions would have required a ballot vote to amend the state constitution, however both died in committee.
“I think we owe it to our universities and our kids and taxpayers that we have the best regents we can get and that they’re trained,” Steinborn said during the committee meeting.
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