By Lauren Lifke
University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes announced her upcoming departure from the university at the Board of Regents meeting Tuesday.
Stokes plans on fulfilling her role through the end of the 2025-26 school year, after which she plans to retire. She wanted to ensure that the Regents have ample time to find a new successor, she said in her speech during the meeting, which was met with a round of applause.
“No matter where my journey into retirement takes me, I will always be a Lobo,” Stokes said.
The Board of Regents approved a six-month extension to her contract to ensure that she can remain in office until her departure in July 2026, according to a statement from the university.
“That is what great universities do: They have highly effective leaders, and they transition smoothly and have wonderful search processes,” Stokes said at the Regents meeting. “And I know that’s what we’re going to do.”
Stokes started her tenure as the 23rd president of UNM in 2018 after serving in leadership positions at the University of Missouri, Florida State University and the University of Georgia. She was the first woman to assume the presidential role at UNM.
During her tenure, Stokes launched an initiative to address public health and safety issues, led the university through rising student enrollment, and made expansions in the university’s economic development, health care access, athletics and campus beautification, according to the statement.
In the statement, UNM Board of Regents Chair Paul Blanchard expressed gratitude to Stokes and said the University is planning to conduct a search for her replacement.
“On behalf of the Board of Regents and the UNM community, we extend our deep gratitude to President Garnett S. Stokes for her visionary stewardship and steadfast commitment to the University,” Blanchard wrote. “Her work has advanced UNM as a national leader in research, student success, and as a partner and major driver of economic development for communities across our state, including expansion and modernization of treatment facilities for UNM Health Sciences.”
Stokes said she plans to continue to work to improve the university in the meantime, including helping out with initiatives to expand the School of Medicine, invest in research and lead UNM toward aligning academic excellence with statewide needs.
“We have a lot of work to do. If I had long sleeves on I would show you rolling them up, because I’ll be doing that for the next 10 months,” Stokes said. “Thank you so much for your support, and let’s go Lobos.”