Latest news with #StevenNeville
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WNMU's new regents discuss financial audits and president search
The four new members of the Western New Mexico University board of regents, J. Dean Reed, John V. Wertheim, Steven Neville and Keana Huerta, met with WNMU Staff Senate President Bart Brown and ASWNMU President Brenda Dominguez for the first time on April 9, 2025. (Photo courtesy Western New Mexico University) Western New Mexico University's new board of regents met for the first time Wednesday, setting plans for a search for a new university president and a forensic audit of university finances. Lawmakers confirmed the four new regents during the recent legislative session in the aftermath of allegations of financial malfeasance by the previous board and university administrators. A civil lawsuit filed by Attorney General Raúl Torrez in January against the former university leaders remains pending, with a June hearing scheduled on former President Joseph Shepard's motion to dismiss the charges against him, which include violations of fiduciary duties, the state's anti-donation clause, the Open Meetings Act and several laws involving unjust enrichment, and not fulfilling contractual obligations. Torrez filed the suit in January after the previous board voted to award Shepard a $1.9 million severance package, which Torrez called a golden parachute and a misuse of state funds. John Wertheim, a lawyer and one of the four new regents, reiterated during the meeting that the university is undergoing a period of many changes. 'I want to express to everybody how unusual this situation is,' Wertheim said during the meeting. 'To have a university with constitutional stature like Western New Mexico to be operating for even a few months without a board of regents is pretty unprecedented.' Steven Neville, a former state senator who represented Senate District 2 in San Juan County, said the board will research how to move forward with a search for a new president. Jack Crocker, university provost and vice president of academic affairs, has been serving as interim president, but was not officially appointed by the previous board of regents. Neville said board members want to move quickly to find someone to take over during the interim while a formal search for president is conducted. The board also received updates on the regular and forensic audit of the school's finances. Scott Peck, an independent auditor, told regents the regular audit, which is conducted each year, came back clean with no issues found. He explained that this regular audit tests certain areas including federal funding, major transactions such as payroll and cash disbursements. The forensic audit, which the university started voluntarily in 2023 and was later required by the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor, is still underway and involves a more in-depth analysis. Kelly Riddle, vice president of business affairs for the university, said the Jaramillo Accounting Group in Albuquerque was chosen to conduct the audit and the group is specifically investigating finances between July 1, 2027 and Dec. 31, 2024. Scott Eliason, a representative of the accounting firm, confirmed that the forensic audit will take several more months to complete, and said the firm will deliver a report to the regents with its findings, as well as suggestions for improving the use of finances. 'We are diving deep into the details,' Eliason told the board. ' We've got stacks and stacks of travel documents, for example, in one of the conference rooms. We've got a couple of team members on site right now going through those documents, reviewing for certain attributes and conformance with the university's policies and procedures.' Neville said all four regents called for a forensic audit during their confirmation hearings in the legislative session, to ensure any previous wrongdoing is identified and fixed moving forward. The board of regents will meet again on April 29 to discuss the university budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Western NM University regents tasked with addressing previous allegations of financial malfeasance
Western New Mexico University campus pictured in Silver City, New Mexico. (Photo courtesy Western New Mexico University) Western New Mexico University's new board of regents will meet for the first time next week, taking the first steps in getting the university 'back on track' following claims of misuse of funds and violation of fiduciary responsibilities. The state Senate confirmed four regents for the Silver City university during the recent 60-day session, including former state Sen. Steven Neville, attorney John Wertheim, WNMU alumnus J. Dean Reed and student regent Keana Huerta. The fifth regent seat remains empty. A spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told Source NM that they did not have any updates about when the governor might announce a fifth regent nomination. The terms of two members of the previous board of regents expired at the end of December and the other three regents submitted their resignations in January, about a year after the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor reported finding university leadership had misused hundreds of thousands of public funds on lavish trips and other spending. The board voted in December to terminate former university President Joseph Shepard's contract and then authorized a $1.9 million severance package. Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a civil suit against Shepard and the board in January, alleging they had violated fiduciary duties, New Mexico's anti-donation clause, the Open Meetings Act and laws pertaining to unjust enrichment, not fulfilling contractual obligations and acting on an unenforceable contract. Shepard filed a motion in March to dismiss the case against him, which Torrez opposes. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for June 16, according to court records. Huerta told Source NM in a statement that the new board intends to keep the university's students at the forefront of 'our discussions and work diligently to ensure that any issues are addressed appropriately.' 'We as the board are committed to doing the right thing in this situation,' Huerta told Source in a written statement. 'Ensuring transparency and accountability while upholding the integrity of the institution are our priorities.' Huerta is originally from the Silver City area and a third-year student at WNMU, which she said makes her uniquely qualified to 'understand the needs and challenges of our local students, faculty, and staff,' she said. Neville, a former state senator who represented Senate District 2 in San Juan County, told Source he does not want to make a judgement on the ongoing investigation and litigation until he has more facts and that he will leave the legal action to the attorney general and the state auditor. Steven Neville, a former state senator representing parts of San Juan County, joins the Western New Mexico University board of regents. (Photo courtesy Steven Neville) 'My job is to try to get us a new president, try to get things back on track, make sure that the books are balanced and go from there,' he said, noting that ensuring students' experiences remain positive and quality education is provided are a priority. 'Western's a very good university so we want to make sure that that focus continues.' Neville added that he has spoken to his fellow regents and said they are all working on gaining more knowledge of the university's situation and are thinking along similar lines in regard to their next steps. Legislators introduced four pieces of legislation addressing the role of university regents and how they are chosen during the recent 60-day session, but only one bill passed and awaits the governor's signature. Senate Bill 19 would require new regents to complete 10 hours of training within six months of being appointed. House Joint Resolution 12, supported by the attorney general, died in a Senate committee, and proposed asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment codifying regents' fiduciary duties, moving proceedings to remove regents from the state Supreme Court to district courts and allow the attorney general or majority of the board to initiate removal of a regent. Senate Joint Resolution 7 also died in a Senate committee. The resolution proposed an amendment to the state Constitution requiring the governor to select regents from a vetted list provided by a nominating committee. Senate Bill 266 would have required regents to submit certain employment contracts to the State Board of Finance for approval, adding a level of oversight to boards of regents. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
