LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Dr. Valerio Ferme will begin his tenure as the president of the New Mexico State University System on Jan. 1, 2025, after the NMSU Board of Regents approved his contract Oct. 25.
Ferme’s first day as an employee will be Nov. 18, when he begins a transition period, and Interim President Monica Torres will continue her role until the new year.
“My family and I are honored to join the land-grant institution of the state of New Mexico, even as I am humbled by the responsibility that this role entails toward our campuses and communities and, equally importantly, to the citizenry and government of the state,” Ferme said in a campus-wide email.
Ferme’s contract, which runs until Jan. 1, 2030, provides a base salary of $600,000 and requires an annual evaluation.
“We are very excited to have Dr. Ferme join us,” NMSU Board of Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali said in a university press release. “The Board of Regents will stand with Dr. Ferme, side-by-side, in true partnership to lead this university. We know NMSU is capable of achieving even bigger and better things and we’re looking forward to our future together.”
Ferme was selected as the next president in September after a month’s long search process. In an email sent to the NMSU community Sept. 19, Board of Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali described the search process as “thorough and collaborative.”
The following information about Dr. Ferme’s background was shared by NMSU Board of Regents Chair Ammu Devasthali in a campus-wide email Sept. 19:
“Dr. Ferme most recently served as executive vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Cincinnati, where he championed student success via numerous access and retention investments.
“Prior to UC, Dr. Ferme served as dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Northern Arizona University and divisional dean for the Arts and Humanities at the University of Colorado, where he taught for 19 years and served repeatedly as chair of the Department of French and Italian.
“At NAU, Ferme increased underrepresented faculty hires and bolstered collaborations between students and organizations in the Flagstaff area, as well as with the Native people of Arizona’s high plains.
“In Colorado, Ferme’s work focused on curricular enhancements and support for underrepresented minorities. In 2014, Ferme received the Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence in Teaching Award and, in 2017, a Special Recognition Award from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement for his work in inclusive excellence.
“Ferme earned undergraduate degrees in biology and religious studies at Brown University, Master’s Degrees in comparative literature and Italian studies from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California-Berkeley, where he was awarded Fulbright and Chancellor’s fellowships. As a scholar, Ferme has published three monographs, three edited volumes, two scholarly translations and a bilingual collection of poetry, in addition to over 60 articles and reviews.“
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