Western New Mexico University trustees on Friday expressed support for President Joseph Shepard as he faces intense scrutiny over his spending on overseas travel and use of his wife's university credit card.
Faculty, staff and international students also filled the audience at the board's regular meeting on the Silver City campus to show their support for Shepard, who is in his 13th year at the school's helm.
At the meeting, Shepherd welcomed the financial audit by the state auditor's office, saying his staff was working to review the university's policies and procedures after questions were raised about spending over the past five years. Stated.
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He reiterated to the regents that trips to places like Zambia raise the profile of western New Mexico and help attract more international students. Other members of his leadership team presented statistics on international student enrollment, graduation rates, and fundraising efforts to strengthen university programs.
“What happens when you go to these places and start interacting with other cultures, other ideologies, etc., is that you acquire a tremendous amount of knowledge yourself and start doing your own research,” Shepard said. Told.
Participation in international conferences by WNMU faculty projects the school as a “real player” and creates networking opportunities, he added.
Faculty, staff and students expressed support for Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepherd, who is facing intense scrutiny over his spending.
The board approved a motion Friday supporting that position, affirming the importance of WNMU's international partnerships and establishing existing agreements and new negotiations with academic institutions from other parts of the Southwest United States to Mexico and Brazil. pointed out.
Regents declined to suspend international travel in direct response to a recommendation from the state Department of Higher Education asking universities to suspend travel until a cost-benefit analysis is completed.
In a letter to WNMU in early January, the department expressed concerns about these expenditures and asked whether regents would be required to be present on some international trips.
The letter also cited spending by Mr. Shepard's wife, Valerie Plame, a former CIA operative and activist. The report said non-state employees should not be issued or allowed to use state procurement cards.
New Mexico lawmakers have also questioned Shepard's spending, saying tuition has increased across the state and that he is required to make sure taxpayer funds are used efficiently. He pointed out that there is.
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Regents agreed Friday to conduct a wide-ranging review in the coming months, including handbooks, travel policies and other procedures. They also agreed with Sheppard's proposal to establish a task force that could work on updating the policy.
Sheppard acknowledged at the gathering that some of the benefits of building relationships with overseas institutions are direct, so it can be difficult to quantify them.
“How do you quantify it?” he asked. “It's a system. It's more important than just saying, 'He took X amount of dollars from this particular student from a particular place.' It's bigger than that.”
The university, now known as WNMU, dates back to its founding in the 1890s, before New Mexico became a state.
