NMSU Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Alan Shoho abruptly retires

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Provost and Chief Academic Officer of New Mexico State University Dr. Alan Shoho has decided to retire, according to an email that was sent out to campus Monday.

In the email, Shoho says he made the "difficult decision" to retire at the end of the spring semester, however, says his last day was ultimately last Friday, March 22nd.

This leadership shakeup comes as the university is in the midst of a search for a new president, as well as after the university's Board of Regents decided to relaunch the search efforts after unanimously coming to the decision that they did "not believe that any of the current finalists fully meet the needs of New Mexico State University."

In the email, Shoho adds, "I was looking forward to welcoming a new President on board. Alas, this was not meant to be, at least not just yet. When the new President is selected, they will be able to hire their own Provost. And while it has been a tremendous honor to serve as your Provost and Chief Academic Officer, I felt this was the right time for me to begin the next chapter in my life."

In a statement released to NMSU students and faculty Monday, Interim President Jay Gogue said "the role of provost is a demanding position and I want to thank Provost Shoho for his service to NMSU and his academic leadership during his time here. We wish him the very best in his retirement."

Interim President Gogue also announced that current Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Lakshmi Reddi, has been selected to be the interim provost.

According to New Mexico State University's website, the duties of the provost include "oversee[ing] all academic programs and provide general administrative supervision of all academic units of the university."