New Mexico State University restructuring for 21st century

After years of suffering from flat retention and graduation rates, New Mexico State University is restructuring its school for the 21st century.

President Garrey Carruthers says he has no doubt this plan will work. And through it, the university’s expected to save over $53 million over the next 7 years.

“There’s just not much out there that suggests that this university as we come to know and love it is going to be successful going forward,” Carruthers said.

With a consulting company, NMSU developed a new plan.

“They said eh, you may not be overstaffed. You’re overstaffed in some areas, understaffed in others but I think you’re just poorly organized,” Carruthers said.

In order to fix the problem, the university will restructure five areas: organization, administrative assistance, IT services, finances and purchases.

Carruthers says there will also be some changes to staffing.

“We need to establish a high priority to pay our staff so we think that’s an important part to saving money. To give us the money, there may be fewer staff but they need to be better,” he said.

Making NMSU better is the goal and Carruthers says he knows it will succeed.

“I’ve done it before and I’ve been successful. We’ll do it again,” Carruthers said.

Curruthers says it will take 2 to 3 years to put the plan in place. He said there is some investment on university’s part.