Latest news with #WesternNewMexicoUniversity
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mandatory training coming soon for NM university boards of regents
The four new members of the Western New Mexico University board of regents met for the first time on April 9, 2025. (Screenshot of meeting) Starting next month, regents on New Mexico university boards will have to complete 10 hours of training to prepare them for their roles in guiding academic institutions. Senate Bill 19, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), directs the New Mexico Department of Higher Education to develop those training hours to include topics such as state law, financial management, institutional governance and student success. The HED is tasked with providing the training and ensuring regents comply. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB19 on April 8 and the bill goes into effect on June 20. The bill states that current regents must complete the training by Dec. 31 this year. Higher Education Department Spokesperson Auriella Ortiz told Source NM in a written statement that members of the department have started considering requirements and platforms for the training, which she said is projected to be completed by the end of the year. 'Since the agency has provided a similar type of training for regents in the past, this process is not new to us,' Ortiz wrote. Steven Neville, a former state senator who represented San Juan County, recently took over as chair of the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents. The entire board consists of four new members after previous members resigned or concluded their tenure in late 2024 and early 2025, following the board's controversial decision to award outgoing university President Joseph Shepard a $1.9 million severance package. Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a civil suit against Shepard and the board in an effort to recover the state funds. A hearing is scheduled in June to consider Shepard's motion to dismiss the case against him. Neville told Source NM that he has a lot of knowledge about state law and financial management from his time as a lawmaker and member of the Legislative Finance Committee, which he will use in his new role, but university management is still different. 'There're certain things about the way universities run that are totally different than my county commission experience or my city council experience or even my state senate experience,' Neville said. 'I've been on several boards and commissions through the years, but nothing is exactly the same.' He added that all four members of the board need some aspect of the future training, despite everyone's background. He said the HED provided all new regents with a short orientation over a couple of hours when they were first appointed, but hopes that future training also involves more explanation of higher education policies and funding 'intricacies that are a little different from one agency to the next.' Ortiz reiterated to Source that the HED already provides training to newly appointed and reappointed regents covering topics such as governance, ethics, fiscal management and state and federal laws. 'Adding a requirement of 10 hours will enhance a governing boards' understanding of their appointed or elected positions in addition to the tools they need to better champion students, faculty and staff on their campuses,' Ortiz wrote. 'It is important to note that Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez and our colleagues at the department are always available to assist governing board members at any time beyond the training sessions.' During the session earlier this year, Steinborn told Senate Education Committee members that he introduced the bill to ensure regents are prepared for their work in hiring university presidents, setting tuition and other actions that fundamentally impact students and faculty. SB19 was one of several bills and resolutions introduced this session that would have addressed the process for how regents are chosen and the preparation they receive for fulfilling their roles. Steinborn also introduced Senate Joint Resolution 7, which would have required the governor to choose regent nominees from a pool of candidates approved by a nominating committee. House Joint Resolution 12, introduced by Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), would have codified regents' fiduciary duties; moved regent removal proceedings to the district courts; and allowed the attorney general or a majority of the board to initiate the removal of a regent. Both resolutions would have required a ballot vote to amend the state constitution, however both died in committee. 'I think we owe it to our universities and our kids and taxpayers that we have the best regents we can get and that they're trained,' Steinborn said during the committee meeting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
An infamous group of Russian-linked hackers appears to have launched a crippling cyberattack on WNMU
Western New Mexico University's main campus in Silver City. Courtesy of Western New Mexico University Posted inFeatured For nearly two weeks, Western New Mexico University's website and digital systems have been held hostage by what officials in internal emails have called the efforts of a 'foreign hacking group.' The university has not publicly addressed the severity of the attack, but documentation obtained by Searchlight New Mexico indicates that an infamous Russian-speaking hacking group is behind the attack and claims to have access to employee payroll data, Social Security numbers and driver's licenses. 'If you refuse to communicate with us and we do not come to an agreement, your data will be reviewed and published on our blog,' the ransomware on WNMU employee computers says. 'Data includes: Employees personal data, CVs, DL, SSN. Complete network map including credentials for local and remote services. Financial information including clients data, bills, budgets, annual reports.' In an image of an employee's computer shared with Searchlight, a note that threatens to leak the employee's Social Security number, driver's license and the university's 'complete network map' is signed by Qilin, a hacking group that the federal government has accused of running a 'ransomware-as-a-service' operation. Qilin has earned a cutthroat reputation for being willing to go after anyone. Last year, it was accused of being involved in a cyberattack that forced a hospital system to cancel more than 1,000 appointments and operations. Earlier this year, it made headlines for its role in stealing the Social Security numbers and driver's licenses of journalists who work for newspapers owned by Lee Enterprises. Since April 13, the WNMU website has been inaccessible to the public. Faculty members told Searchlight that they and their students can use digital platforms like Canvas, which are hosted by a third party, but they're unable to use classroom tools that connect to the internet, like printers or projectors. In an image shared with Searchlight, one employee's laptop screen displayed the same threatening ransomware message whenever they attempted to open a file on their work computer. The message was signed 'Qilin,' and its contents bear the hallmark signs of ransomware, in which hackers hold sensitive data hostage until they receive a ransom payment. Even if they do receive a payment, groups like these may leak the sensitive information anyway. 'We have downloaded compromising and sensitive data from your system/network. Our group cooperates with the mass media. If you refuse to communicate with us and we do not come to an agreement, your data will be reviewed and published on our blog,' the message says. 'Data includes: Employees personal data, CVs, DL, SSN. Complete network map including credentials for local and remote services. Financial information including clients data, bills, budgets, annual reports.' The note instructs recipients to download a Tor browser — commonly used to access the dark web — and visit a specific site to begin negotiations with the hackers. 'You need cipher key/our decrypt software to restore your files … the police or authorities will not be able to help you get the cipher key. We encourage you to consider your decisions.' On April 25 — a Friday, payday at WNMU — hourly and student employees said they had not yet received their direct deposits. In an email to employees reviewed by Searchlight, the university said the problem 'stemmed from an unexpected complication during the file upload process to the bank' and said some employees might experience further delays in receiving the payments. 'If this delay results in any overdraft fees, the university will reimburse those charges,' the email said. The cyberattack comes at an inopportune time for university leaders, who are working to rebuild trust with the faculty senate, student body, state government and the surrounding Silver City community. Since December, when former university president Joseph Shepard resigned from his post and the governor demanded the resignations of the sitting regents, the campus has been without a permanent leader. New regents have only been on the job since late March, and now find themselves leading a university in disarray. Threats like these have become common enough in local government that in 2022 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched the 'State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program,' the first of its kind, to help upgrade and protect IT networks across the country. It awarded nearly $280 million in grant funding for fiscal year 2024 — nearly $4 million of which went to New Mexico — and anticipated awarding $1 billion over four years. In an email to executive managers on April 14 — one day after the attack — Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jack Crocker said WNMU 'experienced a cyberattack from a foreign hacking group' and said the university had the 'ongoing collective support and assistance' of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and 'other university cyber experts to help us combat the attack.' In an email to Searchlight, Higher Education Department spokesperson Auriella Ortiz said the agency was working closely with the state Department of Information Technology to 'evaluate' the issue. 'WNMU is undertaking a formal investigation to identify the scope of the incident and to facilitate necessary remediation efforts,' she wrote. 'Our primary objective as state agencies is to support the university in restoring and continuing normal business operations following this incident.' Whether that collective firepower will be enough to combat the hacking group remains to be seen. Qilin has developed a reputation for wreaking havoc wherever it goes. Last year, it was accused of being involved with an attack on a healthcare provider in London that forced hospitals to immediately halt operations. Qilin has been operational since 2022 and operates 'ransomware as a service,' according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This allows independent hackers to use its digital tools in exchange for a 15 to 20 percent share of the ransom payments. The 2024 report says that the group's typical demand for ransom is $50,000 to $800,000. 'Actors practice double extortion and operate a data leak site where victims are posted. Victims are directed to communicate with the attackers via dark web portals or encrypted messaging services, ensuring the attackers' anonymity and complicating law enforcement efforts to track interactions,' the HHS report says. 'Payments are demanded in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Monero. However, even after payment, there is no guarantee that victims will receive the decryption tools required to recover their data.' Meanwhile, the severity of the situation hasn't come through in the school's public messaging ('While select systems remain offline,' a recent WNMU Facebook post said, 'key academic and communications platforms continue to be accessible.') For nearly two weeks, WNMU's website has been down and employees have had varying degrees of access to their emails. Everything on the university website — minutes and agendas for Board of Regents meetings, campus announcements and calendars of events — has been blocked from public view, and students have had to use alternative login methods to access online homework, lectures and exams. In public social media posts and emails to students, the university has not blamed a cyberattack or other nefarious activity for leading to the outages. Instead it has simply said it is 'working through technical issues.' Internal communications, however, show that the situation is more serious than the university's public depictions. The university has also enlisted the help of private cybersecurity companies. A number of Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed on campus and students have received instructions on alternative ways to access Canvas, an online coursework program used by universities around the nation. 'In the meantime, the plan is to keep campus open,' Crocker wrote in his email to managers. 'Face-to-face classes will meet and alternative access to online/hybrid classes is being created. However, university internet, email, phones, and connections outside WNMU are inoperable at this time and must remain so until the issues are resolved. Scheduled events, such as the scholarship luncheon, softball games, Cultural Affairs lectures will continue.' While faculty and hourly employees have received different communications from the top, students have seemingly been left in the dark as to the serious nature of the system outage. In an email to students last week, the university made no mention of a cyberattack. Instead, it told students that WNMU 'is currently addressing technical issues affecting access to several key web-based services.' It also told students that 'protecting your personal data — including your student status — is a top priority.' In a statement Friday, university spokesperson Mario Sanchez said 'impacted individuals' would be notified if their personal information was involved in the attack. 'The university's investigation into this incident is ongoing. If the investigation determines that personal information was involved, impacted individuals will be notified in accordance with applicable law. We understand there was an issue with payroll processing for the current pay period, but our bank has let us know that the issue has been corrected and payroll should be posted today.' This article first appeared on Searchlight New Mexico and is republished here under a Creative Commons License.
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
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former senator confirmed as board member to scandal-plagued WNMU
Mar. 14—Western New Mexico University came one step closer to a fully functioning institution in the midst of an ethics scandal Friday, when it earned one new member of its governing board. Former Republican state Sen. Steven Neville of Aztec was confirmed by the Senate 32-0 following his hearing before the Senate Rules Committee. He became a regent immediately upon the vote. A constitutional prohibition against legislators being appointed to certain other offices within a year after leaving office does not apply to Neville, according to Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, who chairs the committee. Neville, who served in the Senate from 2005 through the end of last year, called his confirmation "gratifying" in an interview with the Journal. "I had certainly hoped that I wouldn't have any opposition, but you never know," said Neville, who was also a San Juan County commissioner from 1997 to 2004. Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, called his former colleague "the individual that is going to bring stability to Western New Mexico University." Campos was referring to a sprawling ethics scandal that first involved the former WNMU regents, the institution's president, Joe Shepard, and his wife, Valerie Plame, who allegedly spent more than $360,000 of public funds on furniture for the president's Silver City residence and foreign business trips from 2018-23, according to State Auditor Joseph M. Maestas. All but one member, student Trent Jones, resigned from the board at the insistence of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Shepard resigned Jan. 15, but not before the board approved a $1.9 million payout to him. Shepard and the former board members have denied wrongdoing and are currently fighting a lawsuit from Raúl Torrez. The university, since the beginning of the year, has had an acting president. In an interview, Neville said the board, once all members have been appointed, has to assure the public that WNMU is "in good hands (and) the finances are in order." He said he was aware of other audits performed on WNMU, but that the new board would have to verify them. "Maybe we need to do a forensic audit," Neville said, before adding it was too early to say exactly what the new board would do first. He added that soon after forming, the board will have to search for a new president. "We've got to get the captain of the ship back in place," Neville said. An alumnus of New Mexico State University, Neville said that he wanted to be a member of his alma mater's governing board — until he got a phone call from Lujan Grisham. "She says, 'I need you at Western worse,' so I agreed to do it," Neville said. But some senators also joked about Neville's lack of ties to the university based in Silver City. Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, said, "I'm not sure he knows where Western is, so you might have to give him a map." Senate confirmation hearings on the three other WNMU regent appointees are expected to take place on Monday. They include John Wertheim, a former New Mexico Democratic Party chairman; J. Dean Reed, a national sales director and trainer; and Keana Huerta, a WNMU student and Hurley town councilor. A fifth regent has not yet been named by Lujan Grisham's office is "continuing diligent review of all letters of interest and résumés that have been submitted," said Jodi McGinnis Porter, a spokesperson for the governor.
