Water Damage Restoration in Las Cruces, NM

Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Algernon D’Ammassa

Posted Thursday, September 19, 2024 5:34 pm

Algernon D'Ammassa Las Cruces Bulletin

New Mexico State University’s next president, and first permanent leader in a year and a half, will be Valerio Ferme.

Ferme is currently executive vice president of academic affairs and provost at the University of Cincinnati, a position he has held since 2021. He is the former dean of that university’s college of arts and sciences, and had previously held leadership positions at Northern Arizona University and the University of Colorado Boulder.

The board of regents governing the university made the highly anticipated announcement during its business meeting, closing an extended executive search that followed the departure of Chancellor Dan Arvizu in April 2023, which came after regents voted to seek new leadership after his contract ended.

Since then, the university has been led by two consecutive interim presidents: Jay Gogue, followed by Mónica Torres.

The regents appointed Torres in March after they threw out their first slate of finalists for the job and began their search anew. Five new candidate were announced in August, including four from out of state and one from New Mexico: Arsenio Romero, the former New Mexico Public Education Secretary.

The candidates met with regents last week in between public sessions on and off campus where they introduced themselves to faculty and staff, students and the general public with question and answer sessions.

When Romero’s candidacy became public, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pressed him to withdraw or resign from his cabinet post, as confirmed by the governor’s office. Romero chose to pursue the job at NMSU, where he had served as a regent and was an alumnus. In a statement shortly following the announcement, he said he had no regrets about that choice.

"After 28 years of service to the great state of New Mexico, I remain deeply honored by the opportunity to have been considered for the presidency of New Mexico State University," Romero wrote. "Though I was not selected, I have no regrets about taking the risk. I love New Mexico, I love Las Cruces, and I'm an Aggie through and through. I fully support President Ferme in his leadership and look forward to helping NMSU continue to thrive in any way I can."

Shortly afterward, New Mexico Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez wrote an opinion piece calling on the regents to restart the search yet again, criticizing the second slate of finalists. Garrey Carruthers, a former chancellor and president of NMSU, wrote a rebuttal defending the regents and stating, “it is critical the regents conduct their constitutional duty of selecting a president without interference or political pressure in the process.”

Valerio Ferme was raised in Italy and came to the United States to study biology and religious studies at Brown University, graduating in 1984. He went on to complete Master’s degrees in comparative literature and Italian studies at Indiana University in 1992. He was Fulbright scholar at the University of Turin in Italy, and completed a Ph.D. in comparative lierature from the University of California, Berkeley in 1998.

Ferme began his teaching career in Boulder in 1998, teaching Italian, comparative literature and later film. He eventually served as dean of the college of arts and sciences before moving to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff as dean of its College of Arts and Letters. In 2019, he moved on to the University of Cincinnati as a professor and dean.

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Valerio Ferme, NMSU President

It's a new week, but one with the same decisions for New Mexico State.

The Aggies (2-6, 1-4 Conference USA) are still looking for their starting quarterback heading into their ninth game against Western Kentucky (6-2, 4-0 CUSA) at 4 p.m. Saturday at home. NM State has played four quarterbacks this season and has started three, with senior Brandon Nunez being the latest to get the nod in a 34-13 loss to Florida International on Oct. 29.

Once again, Aggies coach Tony Sanchez has to choose a starter. Both Nunez and junior quarterback Santino Marucci have received first-team snaps in practice since playing FIU, and Sanchez says either can start.

"Right now, it's an or (on the depth chart)," Sanchez said. "Both of those guys are getting reps with the (starters). Don't be shocked if you see both of them play."

Sanchez believes it's important to establish a balanced offense to beat the Hilltoppers, something NM State didn't have against the Panthers. The Aggies earned just 30 passing yards compared to 218 rushing yards against FIU, with Nunez's 12 passing yards being the lowest for an NM State starter since 2009.

Sanchez is still confident in Nunez after last week's game. He says the Phoenix native did "some good things" rushing the ball, but acknowledged his struggles throwing it.

"He did a good job in certain points. He really struggled throwing the ball last game," Sanchez said. "If you're looking at the game entirely, you're probably talking about the struggles. We were run-heavy the entire game. He did a good job picking up some important yards with his feet. I think his presence changes the way teams line up with us. Then throwing the ball... We missed some guys."

Whoever starts for the Aggies, Sanchez hopes their passing game finally improves.

"We have to be more deliberate than last time," Sanchez said. "I don't think you're just gonna be able to line up and just try to run the ball down the road. They're pretty good on defense, so we're gonna have to be able to throw the ball to win this football game."

NM State preparing to rally

One of the Aggies' preseason goals was to make a bowl game, and they have no room for error if they want to reach one.

NM State must win its final four games, starting with its homecoming clash against WKU. The Aggies face three-win Middle Tennessee and one-win UTEP to close out the season, but must pass two difficult tests against the CUSA's co-leader and Texas A&M, who are ranked No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press poll.

NM State will likely be underdogs in a majority of those games, but junior running back Mike Washington isn't giving up.

"It's a daily mindset. No matter our record, it's just about coming here ready to work every day," Washington said. "Not everybody really remembers September. Some people remember October. Everybody remembers November. The month of November is where we at least have to finish up."

The Hilltoppers opened as a 20-point favorite against the Aggies, according to ESPN Bet.

Fahina settling with Aggies

One of NM State's key defensive contributors has been Naki Fahina.

The senior defensive tackle and UNLV transfer is Pro Football Focus' highest-graded defender for the Aggies at 73.0, and he's tallied five pressures from the interior this season. Fahina and Sanchez were both at UNLV during the latter's final year as its head coach in 2019, and the Hawthorne, Calif. native said his preexisting relationship with Sanchez led to his Aggies commitment.

Fahina said his time in the portal made him "nervous" but is glad to have ended up in Las Cruces.

"I wasn't sure where I was going to go, and then coach Sanchez reached out to me and it just hit me," Fahina said. "Everything goes around full circle. He's the same man since when I first met him, still very passionate about football. He loves the game of football like this is life for us, that was a huge reason why I came to play here.

"I just put myself out there with all the other guys that just aren't in my position... from a receiver to the running backs to every other position, which has helped me settle down in Las Cruces — a nice, beautiful place to stay."

Millions of city, federal funding dedicated to Las Cruces sports complex

LAS CRUCES – Pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and Las Cruces is no exception to the trend.

Crystal Hyslop and Janice Czyscon picked up the paddle sport after giving racquetball and table tennis a try.

“It’s easy to learn the game, and it’s not like in tennis, it’s not as much running,” Hyslop said.

The City of Las Cruces officially opened the East Mesa Sports Complex pickleball courts Friday, Sept. 13. The complex has been in the works since 2012 when the Las Cruces City Council approved the application to lease the land from the Bureau of Land Management, according to Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez.

Along with the eight pickleball courts, the first phase of the sports complex in Las Cruces also includes several fields. Enriquez said the next phases of the project will include a skate park, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, a sculpture garden, an adaptive playground and public art.

Hyslop and Czyscon said they play outdoors at Apodaca Park and indoors at Meerscheidt Recreation Center, but the new sports complex is closer to where they live.

The unobstructed view of the Organ Mountains and court lights will likely lure them out to play in the evenings as the temperatures cool.

“I think it’s just really, especially for seniors, a lot of them were former tennis players and they got some knee issues and whatnot, and they say pickleball is perfect because they can still use some of that skill, but they don’t have to run as much,” Hyslop said. “And kids, it’s great for them, eye-hand coordination, and it’s not so challenging that they can’t pick it up.”

The complex was approved by Las Cruces voters in 2018 through the approval of four general obligation bond measures, according to reporting from the Las Cruces Sun-News. City officials told the Sun-News that $7.8 million in GO bond funds were allocated to the project, along with $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

It is unclear how much total funding went into the build. The city’s communications office did not respond to inquiries from Source New Mexico before publication.

Enriquez grew up in Las Cruces and recalled his excitement as a child when Maag Ball Park was built.

“We were playing (baseball) at the elementary schools before Maag Park. And man, when I was a kid, Maag Park was the greatest thing that was ever built in Las Cruces,” Enriquez said. “And then Paz and then Harty, and so we see the continuation.”

Residents and city employees gathered in the midafternoon heat last week for the ribbon cutting and within the hour, people were claiming courts and breaking out their paddles.

The complex is located in Las Cruces’ East Mesa, off of Sonoma Springs Avenue and Camino Coyote behind the East Mesa Public Safety Complex.

According to the 2024 Sports & Fitness Association Topline Participation Report, at least 13.6 million people play pickleball. Between 2022 and 2023, that participation grew by 51.8% across the U.S. The report describes pickleball as the “fastest-growing sport” in the country.

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