On Monday, the New Mexico Department of Justice filed an emergency motion to prevent Western New Mexico University from going through with a lucrative severance payment to the university’s departing President Dr. Joseph Shepard.
The NMDOJ’s motion, filed in New Mexico’s Sixth Judicial District Court, comes amid a report from the Office of the State Auditor accusing WNMU leadership of over $350,000 of wasteful spending, and a subsequent separation agreement between Shepard and the Board of Regents that would grant the departing president over $1.9 million.
In a written statement, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez labeled the separation agreement as, “an egregious misuse of public funds and a betrayal of the Board's responsibility to act in the best interest of the university and its students.”
Last week, WNMU Faculty Senate President Phillip Schoenberg said during a no-confidence vote that he does expect all members of the Board of Regents to resign. The Silver City Daily Press did report the resignation of two of the five regents, although it’s unclear when the remaining three will step down.
The next meeting of the WNMU Board of Regents is scheduled for Tuesday, January 7.
