Dosumu resigns as chancellor at UNM-Valencia

TOME — Leadership at the local branch campus is experiencing a change this spring.

The University of New Mexico recently announced UNM-Valencia Chancellor Dr. Samuel Dosumu has stepped down, effective Monday, March 9. He was selected as chancellor in May 2022.

In a press release posted on UNM’s website on March 10, UNM Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Rodriguez announced Dosumu’s resignation. Dosumu will remain a tenured faculty member in the division of social sciences at UNM-Valencia.

In the same press release, Rodriguez announced UNM-Valencia’s Laura Musselwhite, PhD, who has been the campus’s dean of instruction and chief academic officer since 2014, will be stepping in as interim chancellor “to ensure continuity of leadership and campus operations,” Rodriguez said in the release. “With her deep experience and commitment to students, I’m confident UNM-Valencia will continue its important work serving learners across Valencia County.”

In an interview Tuesday, Musselwhite said as with any interim position, the job is to keep things running smoothly.

“There are so many good things happening on campus that need nurturing. I want to be there to make sure these good, programmatic things we’re doing are carried forward,” Musselwhite said. “As with any transition, people need to be assured everything is going to be smooth and things are going to be consistent. I really feel like part of my role is to provide that consistency for people, that assurance everything is moving forward in the way we have always anticipated.”

With 12 years at the campus, Musselwhite said she felt confident she knows the inner workings of the campus, giving her a good vantage point from which to see the moving pieces.

“I am able to know the history of the campus and know where we are with our programs and the growth of our programs to serve the community,” she said. “I feel privileged to have that background information and it’s an honor to take on this role.”

Any changes to programming and operations of the campus will be left to the new, permanent chancellor, she said.

“There will be a competitive search for a new person and at some point that will be announced,” she said. “It will be that person’s role to make changes if they want. My main concern is keeping things on an even keel and making sure, for example, we are moving into summer and fall enrollment right now so I have to make sure that process goes smoothly.”

The UNM-Valencia Advisory Board will lead the search for a new chancellor, with the UNM provost offering advice, Musselwhite said.

“At some point, in the near future, we will figure out when we will launch the search. It is generally a lengthy process,” she said. “There are a lot of moving pieces and, right now, UNM is conducting its own search for a new president and provost. The nature of our search is small. It just happens to fall within the time frame of the others.”

The News-Bulletin requested a copy of Dosumu’s letter of resignation directly from Rodriguez and filed an Inspection of Public Records Act with UNM requesting the letter.

In an email response from Kimberly Delker, the senior communications and marketing manager for the UNM office of academic affairs, Delker said the university is unable to share the letter “as personnel matters are confidential.”

In the same email, she wrote the search for a new chancellor for UNM-Valencia “will be announced at the appropriate time. There will be an external, competitive search process ...”

As the school year nears its end, Musselwhite said her focus is on making sure students and the community are aware of the campus’s new programs.

“We want to get it out in front of people that we have three new programs in the fall — electrical, plumbing and HVAC — to go along with our existing construction program,” she said. “We’re excited about those. We also have a new AI and data science certificate coming in for the first time. There are some new opportunities for students. My role is to be a good shepherd and keep things on track.

“I just want to reinforce that the campus’s priority of serving this community has not and will not change. Our partnerships with the local school systems and with the members of the community are extremely important. That’s our focus. This is our home.”