The NMSU President is the university’s chief executive officer and responsible for oversight of the entire NMSU System.
President Valerio Ferme, Ph.D.
Valerio Ferme serves as the 32nd President of the New Mexico State University System. As President, he leads the state’s comprehensive research, land-grant university excelling in teaching, research, and public service. He previously served as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, as well as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Cincinnati (UC).
A firm believer in student success, Ferme supported numerous access and retention investments on the behalf of students at UC. At the same time, during his tenure there as provost, the colleges more than doubled hires of underrepresented faculty; and the provost’s office launched a post-doctoral program to attract diverse, prospective faculty candidates; provided permanent professional funds for employee resource groups; created a provost faculty fellow program; and addressed salary minima for advising staff and adjunct faculty.
A native of Italy holding dual citizenship, Ferme earned undergraduate degrees in Biology and Religious Studies at Brown University, Masters in Comparative Literature and Italian Studies from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, where he was awarded Fulbright and Chancellor’s Fellowships.