Application Letter - New Mexico State University Alamogordo

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D. Ryan Carstens
7 March 2015
To the President Search Committee:
I am pleased to respond to the invitation to submit my application materials for your
consideration as President of New Mexico State University-Alamogordo. With over 30 years of
service in institutional support, teaching and learning, student support, and college operations, I
possess a solid combination of the attributes you appear to seek in your next President, as you
pursue a collaborative systemic approach to build a better future for citizens and communities in
Otero County.
Regarding my educational qualifications for this position, I earned my terminal degree in
the doctoral Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at the University of Texas at
Austin. My prior formal education includes an M.S. from Oklahoma State University in
Curriculum & Instruction and a B.S. from OSU in German with a Social Studies minor and a
public school teaching certificate. As a colleague among NMSU-A’s faculty, staff, and
community partners working to enhance the higher education experience, I would like to share
insights related to the presidential opportunity at NMSU-Alamogordo:
Provide leadership, inspiration and support to the College staff and faculty that results in
program excellence, innovation and student success/completion
Developing innovative solutions to support a culture of scholarship and learning has been
a focus in my career and has produced gratifying partnerships with faculty. Serving in faculty
and administrative assignments, my career includes significant experience in multiple institutions
designing solutions that span the entire student life cycle and support college efforts to improve
student success. I have been involved in four accreditation cycles at various colleges, including
leadership roles for specific quality enhancement initiatives and service on steering teams. In
preparation for accreditation, we developed a core college learning outcomes assessment process
at a multi-college system in Texas. At Yavapai College we redesigned the telecommunications
system to increase engagement with the result of doubled enrollments and a 20% gain in
retention and success for students. At El Centro (Dallas) we developed new teleweb course
models to promote student engagement and provided the Dallas district’s first instructional
designer and curriculum specialist to assist faculty in mapping learning outcomes and course
design. We also revitalized the library role at all 7 Dallas colleges to create a faculty-supported
strategic plan and partnership for increased student success. We created quality standards for
course development and delivery at Rio Salado College (in the Maricopa System), the Lone Star
College System, Salt Lake Community College, and NMSU-Alamogordo. At Rio Salado
College, we created the Development Team for quality & design standards for curriculum,
materials, and support. At Lone Star we developed eLearning support services for faculty and
students. We created a faculty action research program with Achieving the Dream (AtD) to
increase student engagement and success and to promote research and scholarship among faculty
at six colleges. At Salt Lake we established initiatives to increase student success, including
Complete College America, accelerated learning, a Clear Pathways initiative to improve student
intentionality, emporium and Learning Commons courses, an ePortfolio initiative, and an
Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) project for developmental math and
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advising. We developed a Certificate of Completion for General Education to promote credential
attainment, which was subsequently adopted statewide by the Utah System of Higher Education.
We also initiated a library renewal and planning process to redefine and strengthen its role in
teaching and learning. At NMSU-Alamogordo we launched a campus-wide initiative to define
our “Learning Signature,” including clarification and assessment of institutional learning
outcomes and co-curricular activities. Recently I assisted Las Cruces leaders in conceptualizing
the new Aggie Pathway initiative to increase community college graduates and transfers.
Ensure access and success for the communities’ diverse and underrepresented populations with
appropriate programs and support services
My humanities background and overseas experience lead me to appreciate diversity of
thought and culture. I also bring a combination of professional experience at multi-campus
diverse colleges, rural college districts with geographically dispersed locations, and metropolitan
multi-college districts. I have served in an ethnically diverse downtown campus, diverse colleges
in south Texas, and colleges with Native American students. In Texas, we obtained training
certification for Ruby Payne’s Understanding and Engaging Under-Resourced College Students
program. We developed programs based on student engagement assessment data, such as a bilingual campus signage project, and a new orientation program. We used Achieving the Dream
(AtD) funds to develop an early intervention program, a new college success course coupled
with case management advising, the Hispanic Summit, and the Black Male Summit. We worked
with six colleges to develop the “Best Start” program serving 7,000 students and addressing
transition issues during the “First-Year Experience” to increase retention and success.
Contribute to regional economic development by understanding and responding appropriately to
local business and industry workforce development needs
Along my professional journey I have had wonderful opportunities to work with devoted
professionals who share the passion for helping our students to pursue and fulfill their potential.
I have participated in various efforts to explore and create new courses and programs, including
participation on various industry advisory teams to develop a new microcomputer technology
degree, update a CAD/CAM program, develop a small business incubator program, or develop
various training curricula for school district partners. With rural health partners, we piloted
Arizona’s first nursing program delivered fully via distance learning and achieved support of the
modality from the state’s board of nursing. We developed mobile and onsite options to deliver
customized corporate training in the Phoenix metro area. Also in Arizona, we worked with
Phelps-Dodge to schedule adult education courses onsite to accommodate rotating shifts at the
Bagdad mine. At Lone Star we partnered with the economic development council to develop
technology training. We also developed new alternative energy and computer gaming programs.
At NMSU-Alamogordo we are developing allied health credentials for the medical community.
Lead the College in the identification, implementation and utilization of effective technology in
the areas of instruction, administration and marketing
Working with technology has been a career concentration. I have provided leadership for
a broad variety of collaborative projects at multiple institutions involving the development and
use of distance learning standards, programs and services, faculty/instructional development,
multimedia classroom systems, online library services, college web sites, multimedia production
facilities, classroom instructional technologies, television broadcast and interactive video
systems, and administrative or academic computer networks and systems. At Rio Salado we re-
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engineered the college enterprise resource planning system to be more responsive to student
needs. At Eastern Idaho Technical College, we supported a video network delivering high
school, college, and university courses to six locations across 19,000 square miles in partnership
with BYU-Idaho and Idaho State University. Also in Idaho, I consulted with the Albertson
Foundation to design and develop a statewide video/data network and classrooms, bridging 17
districts statewide for technology integration training for 2700 teachers. At the Lone Star College
System we developed a multi-college online distance learning program and infrastructure,
including courses, certificates, and degrees initially serving 6,900 students (currently supporting
20,000 students). We also lead the WebSolutions Project to consolidate the marketing and
information functions of all college web sites. At Salt Lake, we supported an eLearning program
serving over 13,000 students and worked with faculty to develop flipped hybrid courses and
open educational resources in partnership with the Kaleidoscope Project. At NMSU-Alamogordo
I have worked with faculty to further develop our online learning infrastructure.
Implement enrollment management strategies consistent with the comprehensive mission and
available resources
Managing enrollment in concert with fulfilling the community college mission can
sometimes appear to be a conflicted effort. We seek to provide access but also need to insure
quality and completion without over-stretching our institutional capacity. With intentional
strategies we can see improved results. As a department chair at Yavapai College for faculty and
courses at extension sites across the county and delivered via telecommunications, we developed
AA degree opportunities for extension sites through phased course scheduling, resulting in
increased enrollments and course offerings and stabilized operations. At Lone Star we lead the
implementation of R25 and X25 scheduling software. At SLCC we developed a phased
scheduling approach based on target fill rates at optimum times and days, resulting in fewer
cancellations and increased credential completion at 13 college sites. At NMSU-Alamogordo I
prompted the creation of an Institutional Effectiveness office working with a consultant to
develop enrollment management and marketing strategies.
Be successful in the acquisition, allocation and management of the College’s fiscal resources
including generating alternative sources of revenue
I have over 30 years of experience managing appropriated and grant budgets, and
partnerships. Prior grant experience includes college-wide responsibility for grants, and
developing and directing Perkins, Title III, FIPSE, TIF, DOL, library, and state agency grants at
various colleges. I was a contributing writer and lobbyist for funding legislation in Arizona,
supported political and legislative initiatives related to college appropriations in Idaho, Texas
and New Mexico, and successfully pursued state funding allocations for initiatives in Idaho and
Utah. Our LSC-Tomball college team secured a partnership with the county public library
system to design and fund a 70,000 square foot joint library facility. We also completed the
educational specifications in partnership with the regional medical center to construct a joint
health science facility. At NMSU-Alamogordo we partnered with ten colleges to receive a $12
million department of labor grant, and we partnered with NMSU to provide a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing. In support of collaborative planning decisions, we implemented a budgetplanning tool at LSC-Tomball to support cross-divisional planning and analyses among college
departments. At Lone Star, we subsequently used the AtD initiative, CCSSE survey data, and the
revised strategic planning process to shift our culture toward more informed decisions and
planning based on campus key performance indicators and student outcomes associated with
AtD initiatives and the SACS accreditation Quality Enhancement Plan.
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Promote a “college-going” culture in the region that provides access to higher education
My journey has included multiple opportunities to advance the college-going culture,
from services in the high schools to partnerships with universities. At UH-V we collaborated
with colleges to provide on-site education courses. At Yavapai College we partnered with
Northern Arizona University for technology-based 2+2 programs. At Eastern Idaho Technical
College, we established a regional high school faculty development consortium with eight school
districts, and supported a regional dual-credit and distance learning consortium with Idaho State
University, six school districts, and BYU-Idaho. We developed a shared vision for a regional
library consortium in eastern Idaho that brought together very diverse interests of large and small
community libraries linked with public school, university, and college libraries. At SLCC, we
supported a variety of articulated programs through our University Center. Prior experience in
dual credit programs also includes work in Arizona, Texas, and Utah with multiple public school
district partners to establish shared facilities, resources, course schedules, instructor assignments,
and financial incentives. The LSC-Tomball team supported more than 1600 dual credit semester
enrollments, while the SLCC program supported 10,000 dual-enrollments per semester across 56
schools including two early college high schools. At the Innovations Early College High School
we established a financial agreement to provide dual-credit courses on the college campus. We
are in early discussions to explore the viability of an early college high school in Alamogordo.
Advocate strongly for the College at the local, state and national levels by building good
relationships with community leaders and elected officials
As mentioned above, I have participated in political and legislative affairs related to
college appropriations in Arizona, Idaho, Texas and New Mexico. In eastern Idaho, I worked
with the Governor’s Advisor on Education, State Executive Director for the Board of Education,
State Superintendent for Public Instruction, and other state leaders. As the regional advisor to a
legislative subcommittee, I successfully negotiated political status for direct state allocations. In
Texas, I supported the local chamber of commerce government & legislative affairs efforts. In
Salt Lake, we worked with community partners to support a Collective Impact initiative and
Community Learning Center concept. In Alamogordo we are working with local business to
identify training needs for a new regional technology cluster and robotics program.
Appreciate and build upon the unique characteristics of a rural college serving a large
geographical area
The community college plays a profound and pivotal role in the development and
enrichment of the citizens it serves, and in securing a positive future for its constituents, both
individually and collectively. Especially in rural America, the community college provides a
cultural and economic catalyst, and stands as a beacon of hope for individuals and communities
who seek to build a better future for themselves or their children.
I have served at several rural residential community colleges, covering from 5,400 up to
27,000 square miles. Providing quality services to students dispersed across a large geographic
region presents challenges on several fronts. This is especially true if the infrastructure is less
developed and human resources are scarce. In prior positions in Texas, Arizona, and Idaho, I
provided access to services in support of student success in rural locations away from the main
campus and invested in a local presence “on the ground” at strategic locations. At UH-Victoria
we provided outreach courses in the county. At Central Arizona we serviced the needs at the
smaller centers, the prison, and on the Indian reservation. At Yavapai College we promoted and
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developed permanent extension facilities via a bond election. At Eastern Idaho Technical
College we worked with superintendents at six high school districts to provide faculty
development opportunities and adult college and university courses at high school sites. We also
developed community partnerships through state grants and the development of a grant-funded
eastern Idaho library consortium. At LSC-Tomball we enjoyed a strong connection to a small
town on the fringe of a large metro area, and we built shared facilities with community partners.
Model strong interpersonal skills, respect for the contributions of all staff, and a collaborative
leadership style resulting in a positive campus climate
I have a track record of incorporating a leadership style that is respectful and inclusive
while pursuing innovative and win/win solutions that support success for our students and
partners. I have regularly participated in initiatives involving organizational change,
communicating common ideas among diverse constituencies, and developing shared visions. I
lean toward embracing the future with vision, open inquiry, a healthy respect for history, and a
passion for innovation. To foster the potential for success of each and every student, I invest my
time and energy toward sustaining and nurturing a college culture and community that seeks to
make a difference to the one and to the many. I approach my work with energy. I follow
Deming’s belief in the basic goodness of employees and I strive for fair and effective leadership.
I have a record of listening to the data and to our students and faculty, as well as
providing the organizational energy and vision to move forward with change and innovation
while also honoring our values. I believe in Covey’s Law of the Harvest; I strive to follow
correct principles, to do the right things well, and to inspire the organization to do the same. I
strive to lead a purposeful life and I describe myself as a servant leader. I am approachable; I am
not pretentious. I reflect on my own practice. I ask of others what I am willing to ask of myself.
I value all roles in an organization and work to collaboratively serve others in a way that better
empowers them to fulfill their stewardship.
It takes a college-wide collaborative team effort to help students succeed and no single
employee can accomplish this alone. Indeed, the most successful college endeavors associated
with my career were not singly accomplished but came as a result of the work of many. I strive
to foster a supportive environment where staff and faculty feel appreciated and empowered to
collaborate, lead, innovate, take risks, and adapt to change when such action moves the college
and community in a positive direction. I am most successful in a mutually respectful
organization where such characteristics are valued. My research suggests that these attributes are
respected and encouraged at New Mexico State University and I therefore appreciate your
consideration as you select your next President for the Alamogordo campus.
Best Regards,
Dr. D. Ryan Carstens
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