With University of New Mexico’s President Garnett Stokes’ tenure coming to an end, the search for the next president has officially begun.
During a Board of Regents meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Board announced that they have taken the first step in finding a replacement for Stokes, who in September announced her intention to resign at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
The Board will soon appoint an advisory committee tasked with carrying out a national search for the next president, according to a UNM press release.
“This search represents an important moment in UNM’s history — an opportunity to find a leader who will build on the incredible momentum already underway,” Board of Regents Chair Paul Blanchard said in the press release on Tuesday. “We are searching for a leader who brings integrity, vision, and the ability to turn ideas into action — someone who will position UNM to make an even greater impact in New Mexico and beyond.”
The Board has contracted search firm Isaacson Miller, which led the last UNM presidential search, according to the release.
The next president is expected to be named in late Spring 2026, following campus visits and public forums, and will assume office in July 2026, according to the release.
Members of the UNM community who wish to provide comments on the search can do so online, where status updates on the search are also available.
Previous presidential searches for presidents David Schmidly and Robert Frank — the 20th and 21st University presidents — have cost $294,000 and $178,000, respectively, though both searches lasted approximately the same amount of time.
Stokes was selected after a 10-month search process, and was the unanimous choice out of a field of five finalists. She replaced interim-president Chaouki Abdallah.
She is the 23rd president of the University and the first woman to hold the highest position at the school.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
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