UPDATE: According to President Shepard, the three extended campuses in question will be moved to inactive status. According to Shepard, should situations improve, the extended campuses could eventually reopen.
Silver City, NM- On Monday, April 24, the WNMU Board of Regents passed a vote to raise tuition at WNMU by 5%, adding an additional seven to fourteen dollars a credit hour to students tuition, according to Regent Arlean Murillo. A decision was also made to shut down the Western New Mexico University extended campuses in Gallup, Truth or Consequences and Lordsburg. Staff will not be laid off, however, and some of the facilities will continue to be used strictly for dual-credit students. According to Murillo, the cuts will save the University an estimated $1 million.
Also on the agenda was the recent Higher Education cuts made by Governor Susanna Martinez. The governor recently vetoed funding for all universities in the state of New Mexico. For now however, it is assumed than a agreement will be made and operations for WNMU will continue. The next Board of Regents meeting will be held this coming May.
This story is still developing….
