LAS CRUCES — Already sporting a crimson jacket and a broad smile, Barbara Couture entered the Regents Room on Thursday at New Mexico State University to a standing ovation and shouts of “Welcome to NMSU!”

Couture was appointed as NMSU’s first permanent female president Thursday as a standing-room-only crowd packed a special regents meeting and more than 400 others watched the proceedings online.

“Almost as soon as I set foot on this campus, I knew this was the place for us,” Couture, 61, told regents as her husband, Paul, sat beside her.

Couture, a senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, inked a five-year contract effective Jan. 1, according to Blake Curtis, regents chairman.

Her contract calls for a $385,000 annual salary, use of the president’s residence on Geothermal Drive and other perks like a vehicle and country club membership.

Interim President Manuel Pacheco’s contract is $325,000 per year, and previous president Mike Martin was earning $358,785 at the time of his departure in 2008, according to the university.

Most unique about Couture’s compensation package, Curtis said, is a $500,000 retention bonus, which Couture will only receive upon completion of the five-year contract.

“This reflects — not a request, not an outcry, but people screaming at the tops of their lungs, ‘We want someone to stay here!’” Curtis told the Sun-News. He emphasized that, unlike other retention bonuses in which a portion is awarded at the end of each contract year, Couture will receive the bonus only after completing the entire contract. Curtis said the extra incentive is crucial to meeting the need for continuity of leadership.

“It’s important because quality individuals are highly sought-after,” he said. “This will make it difficult for another institution to steal her away. We’ve made it clear that we expect a long tenure.”

Couture’s bonus will not come from the university’s budget, but from the NMSU Foundation, which raises and distributes contributions from private donors.

Couture also was one of two finalists for the chancellor position at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, until the school announced Tuesday that Rita Cheng had been appointed.

Curtis said regents received a great deal of input from faculty members, students and other partners in the NMSU community and Couture had widespread and enthusiastic support.

“The faculty is so ready for a new leader at the helm of this ship,” Curtis said.

Criminal justice assistant professor Dana Greene was an outspoken critic of the regents following the first failed presidential search and the board’s decision to ask then-Interim President Waded Cruzado to return to her executive vice president and provost position. Greene and others in attendance Thursday let loose a shout of approval when Curtis announced Couture’s appointment.

“I could not be more pleased,” Greene said after the meeting. “She was by far the most qualified, classy, intelligent candidate.”

Cruzado stepped down from the interim president position in May. She recently accepted an offer to be Montana State University’s next president, and was expected to start there around the first of the year.

Manuel Pacheco, who took over from Cruzado as interim president, said he has enjoyed his five months at NMSU. He’ll make himself available to Couture for guidance if she wants it, he said, but he’s looking forward to returning to his home in Phoenix and his retirement.

Following the meeting, Couture attended a reception in the Educational Services Building, where she was warmly welcomed by staff members. Couture donned an NMSU baseball cap and joined the crowd shouting “Aggies! Aggies!” led by mascot Pistol Pete, who declared Couture “a natural.”

Former Aggie head basketball coach Lou Henson, who was on the search committee that selected Couture as one of five finalists in October, said her communication skills will be an important asset as president.

“She’s one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard,” Henson said after Thursday’s meeting, joking that he was nervous about his grammar upon meeting her.

Regent Laura Conniff said Couture’s experience and management skills made her stand out.

“I’m delighted that we have a female president,” Conniff said, “but more importantly, I feel she was the best choice. Her being a woman is just an added bonus.”

Regent Javier Gonzales said Couture was the right choice because of her vision for the school.

“The university, over the last several years, has had a sense of instability in leadership,” Gonzales said. “Now there will be a general feeling that we have a permanent leader around for a long period of time.”

Gonzales also noted during the meeting that he was proud, as the father of two daughters, that a glass ceiling had been shattered at the university.

Regent Isaac Pino said he was most impressed by Couture’s apparent ability to work well with faculty and staff.

“With the financial situation in this country continuing to deteriorate, it’s a continuing challenge to remember who we are and what our priorities are,” Pino said after the meeting. “She has the ability to bring people together in the face of those challenges.”

Search committee member Chris Erickson, associate professor of economics and international businesses and chair of the Faculty Senate, said he was eager to see the university move forward.

“Dr. Cruzado and Dr. Pacheco have each done a great job,” Erickson said, “but we really need stable, permanent leadership. This is a new beginning for the university in a lot of ways.”

With the upcoming legislative session and possible cuts to the university’s budget Curtis said he’s pleased that Couture will be able to start before the session begins.

“She’s going to hit the ground running,” Curtis said.

Couture earned a bachelor’s degree with high distinction from the University of Michigan, where she also earned master and doctor of arts degrees in English and literature. She began her academic career at Wayne State University in Detroit in 1980, achieving the rank of professor in 1994. She also served as an associate dean for curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and associate dean for metropolitan programs and summer sessions in the College of Lifelong Learning, where she was responsible for the management of six extension campuses.

Prior to her UNL appointment, Couture was dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Washington State University in Pullman, a post she assumed in 1998.

 

Amanda L. Husson can be reached at ahusson@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5460.