One Woman Among the Five Finalists for President of New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University has announced five candidates who are finalists to become the president of the university. All candidates will be visiting campus over the next two weeks for public forums, receptions, and interviews. One finalist is Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and former governor of New Mexico. One of the four other finalists is a woman.

Elsa A. Murano is professor, president emerita, and interim director of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University. She joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1995 but took a leave of absence to serve in the Bush administration as undersecretary of agriculture for food safety. In 2005, she returned to Texas A&M as dean and vice chancellor of agriculture and life sciences. In 2008 she was named the first woman president of the university. In 2012, she was one of five finalists for president of the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Murano is a graduate of Florida International University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in food science and technology from Virginia Tech.