The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents renewed President Joseph Shepard’s employment contract at a special meeting in Silver City on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.
The board unanimously voted to approve President Shepard’s new contract, extending his term of employment through June 30, 2021, while adding performance incentives for five annual objectives.
“Of my eight years on the board, this contract has been one of the most thought-about items. A great amount of work went into it,” said Board President Jerry A. Walz, Esq.
Regents present included Walz; Board Vice President Janice Baca-Argabright; Regent Member Carl Foster, Ph.D.; and Student Regent Arlean Murillo. Regent Dan Salzwedel, Ph.D., was unable to attend the meeting, but Foster shared a statement of Salzwedel’s support for the new contract.
The board analyzed contracts and benefits packages from other universities in New Mexico and institutions in surrounding states. “We must remain in the mainstream and try to remain on the cutting edge of these contractual issues,” Walz said.
“This contract is a blueprint of the future of this university. For the next three years, this university is moving forward under President Shepard’s direction and under his staff’s direction. Nobody in this state will even be close to us over the three-year period,” Foster said.
Argabright said, “Western New Mexico University has the best president in the state, so he deserves the best contract.”
“We’ve had Dr. Shepard at the helm for six years, and he has a proven track record,” Walz added, emphasizing the importance of stability now when funding for higher education institutions is dwindling. “This is a critical time for the university. I believe we’ve secured the university’s future for at least the next three years. These years will set the stage for the next twenty-five years or more.”
The contract demonstrates the regents’ appreciation for President Shepard’s past performance, while its accompanying objectives for the 2017-18 fiscal year outline the regents’ expectations for the future.
“These were thought out as measures that can be used for the future to try to drive progress in certain areas. It is by no means a suggestion that he wasn’t doing a good job; it’s more of an incentive to focus on certain areas and achieve certain outcomes,” Walz said.
Three of the five outcomes are focused on increasing non-State revenue. “For our institution to survive and thrive, we need to find other revenue streams,” President Shepard said.
The fourth goal is to increase the graduation rate, while the fifth is aimed at researching and ultimately raising faculty and staff compensation to a more competitive level. “This contract is tied to performance,” President Shepard said. “As such, we must do all we can to also reward the performance of our faculty and staff through adjustments to their compensation as well.”
Walz said the regents are also thankful for the faculty, staff and students who have contributed to WNMU’s recent improvements. “This contract is not just a reflection on the president but on the entire administration. We don’t look at him in isolation but we look at his entire team. Dr. Shepard has to have everybody playing in harmony for this to work,” he said.
The next WNMU Board of Regents meeting was set for Dec. 7, 2017, the day before fall commencement.