Western New Mexico University president announces he will resign
Dec 20, 2024
SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – The president of Western New Mexico University is stepping down amid allegations of improper spending at the school. During a special board of regents meeting on Friday, Joseph Shepard announced he will be resigning from the position on January 14.
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The news comes after a state audit revealed that WNMU spent more than $200,000 on travel and lodging from July 2018 to June 2023. The audit also found credit card spending totaling more than $145,000, which included furnishings for the president's residence. Shepard disputed the audit's finding and told the regents that media coverage of the school's financial matters has been a distraction to its accomplishments under his leadership.
He said his resignation is in the best interest of the university. "I leave my post not in defeat, but with a deep understanding that this is the right thing to do to advance what I dearly love, " said Shepard.
Once he leaves the president's office, Shepard will become a full-time professor in WNMU's business school.